Going door-to-door by wheelchair to meet constituents — even after the assassination of party leader Benazir Bhutto — he has become a symbol of those refusing to bow to fear and intimidation.
“Everyone was amazed I decided to run,” said Shah, a lifelong political activist, after spending hours in the blazing sun urging Pakistan People’s Party supporters to take part in the crucial vote. “A third of my body was already in the grave, but I felt it was important. I was given a second chance to help this country.”
It remains to be seen how Pakistan will emerge from a year-long political crisis that has seen the dismissal of judiciary, the imposition of emergency rule, the rounding up of political opponents, and a string of suicide bombings that have been blamed on militants and have left hundreds dead.
A landslide win by the opposition, as recent opinion polls predict, could leave President Pervez Musharraf vulnerable to impeachment eight years after he seized power in a coup.
Though few believe Musharraf will give up without a fight, Shah said he owes it to former prime minister Benazir Bhutto — killed on Dec 27 after waving to supporters through the sunroof of her car — to try. It was her wish that he be the party’s candidate for Islamabad’s seat in parliament.
“She was a brave lady,” said Shah, who spent five days on life support and two months in the hospital after the July attack on a party meeting. “So why cannot her followers be brave too?”
The government blamed militants, but Shah thinks Musharraf’s supporters were responsible.
More than 50 supporters chaotically thronged his car as he arrived at a rally recently, some throwing flower petals on the roof as they chanted “Long Live Israr Shah” and “Long Live Bhutto.” Others waved flags of green, red and black — the party’s colours — and shouted through bull-horns.
“He sacrificed his legs for democracy,” said Lal Hussein Shah, a 23-year-old business administration student, watching from a safe distance. “That’s why I’m supporting him.”
Shah, who is in his 50s, said he would continue to fight against dictatorship in Pakistan even though he was worried for his life and that of his family after receiving numerous threats. He campaigns under tight security, a guard carrying a Kalashnikov rifle always nearby. “Is this democracy in Pakistan?” he asked, pointing to his security and asking why he was “moving with Kalashnikov.”
“Why am I not moving freely in Islamabad?”
Despite his efforts, many said they would likely stay home on Monday, with fears of violence and Ms Bhutto’s death leaving them gut-wrenched. But Sumaira Butt, a 28-year-old party activist, said she was willing to risk her life to vote. “This is the lesson I learned from Benazir Bhutto,” she said.
“We have to oust Musharraf,” who is not contesting the vote but could be forced to step down if the opposition wins a commanding majority in parliament. “Elections are the only way to do that.”—AP