Grand Democratic Alliance against Pakistan People’s Party (PPP): New dimensions in Sindh

Opponents of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in rural Sindh have decided to formally register an alliance to contest the ruling party in the 2018 elections.

“The Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) will be registered with the Election Commission of Pakistan under the leadership of Pir Pagara,” said Qaumi Awami Tehreek President Ayaz Latif Palijo after a meeting of various PPP opposing political leaders held at Kingri House, the residence of Pir Pagara, on October 22. Palijo added that a coordination committee would also be formed to include all other parties in the grand alliance against the current Sindh government in the upcoming general elections.

It was attended besides others by former chief ministers of Sindh Ghous Ali Shah and Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim; Mumtaz Ali Bhutto, who is the president of the Sindh National Front; Muzaffar Hussain Shah; National Peoples Party chief and Federal Minister Murtaza Jatoi; Dr Zulfiqar Mirza and his MPA son Hasnain Mirza; PPP- Workers president Dr Safdar Abbasi and Munawwar Abbasi.Palijo later said that Sardar Abdul Raheem has been appointed information secretary of the alliance, whereas he would serve as its general secretary

Qaumi Awami Tehreek (QAT) leader Ayaz Latif Palijo has blamed the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of being behind the recent split in his party. The charge was leveled in his first public reaction on Monday to his father Rasool Bux Palijo’s restoration of the original party, Awami Tehreek, which will now function as a separate entity from the QAT.

The senior Palijo, in a press conference on October 2, had censured his son for deviating from the old school ideological traits of leadership, borrowed from the communist party structure, as the reason for the separation.

The GDA, which comprises Pakistan Muslim League-Functional, National Peoples Party, Qaumi Awami Tehreek, Sindh National Front, Peoples Party (Workers) and some other likeminded political groups, decided to get the alliance registered with the Election Commission.