File picture of Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Chairman of Pakistan People’s Party
| Photo Credit: AP
Brandishing an oversized arrow and rallying support in Pakistan’s northern tribal region, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari claims he is the only candidate pointing a way out of polarised politics ahead of next Thursday’s election.
The emblem of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) he inherited from his mother Benazir Bhutto — assassinated in 2007 — symbolises “the self-respecting”, “the trustworthy” and “victory”, he told followers crammed in a rain-slick park. “We are promising to end the traditional politics of hatred and division, and appealing to the people of Pakistan to choose a new way of thinking,” he said.
‘Different views’
“We accept that people have different points of view. But that does not mean that you have to develop a personal animosity,” he said in northwestern Batkhela city.
Around 127 million are eligible to vote in a fractious poll many analysts describe as heavily influenced by the military, who directly ruled Pakistan for decades and continue to act as political kingmakers.
Popular former Prime Minister Imran Khan is in jail, barred from standing, and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party has been hamstrung by a crackdown since he mounted a campaign of confrontation against the top brass.
Three-time former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, meanwhile, returned from self-imposed exile and saw a myriad of convictions evaporate — a sign his party has been anointed by the generals to lead the next government.
With each side decrying the other as traitors, Mr. Zardari is trying to position himself as a moderate outside the melee — pledging truth and reconciliation, release of political prisoners and an end to “the politics of vendetta”.
“Until we develop fundamental rules of the game, or a code of conduct for how politics should be done in this country, then we will keep facing problems,” he said.
Pakistan is enjoying one of its longest period without direct Army rule, but analysts say the military has been again intervening in civilian affairs at unprecedented levels in recent years.
Zulfikar Ali Bhutto — Mr. Zardari’s grandfather and Pakistan’s ninth Prime Minister — was deposed by an Army coup and hanged in 1979.
“The influence of the military establishment is something that is a reality in Pakistan”, the 35-year-old grandson said.
But, “if the politicians get their house in order”, he believes the generals will retire to their barracks.
Polling suggests the democratic movement is unlikely to carry him to office, with a December Gallup Pakistan survey putting him about 20 points behind both rivals in approval ratings.
Limited support outside their powerbase southern Sindh province also suggests that they are in danger of being relegated to a regional party.
