Pakistan’s long-awaited general elections have now been pushed back to February 2024 at the earliest by the country’s election commission, thanks to the decision to conduct a fresh census, and the redrawing of constituency boundaries based on the updated population figures.
Although there is serious uncertainty over who will win in Punjab, the country’s most populous province, when the polls eventually open, it is largely taken for granted that the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) will retain its dominance over Sindh, home to the most populous city, Karachi. In fact, thanks to the military’s partial dismantling of two other parties – the MQM and the PTI – it seems likely that the PPP will be able to prevail in Karachi, deepening its hold over the province as a whole.
The PPP’s position in Sindh is unique; it has continuously led the provincial government for the past decade and a half. Going back further, the PPP rarely failed to secure at least a plurality of seats ever since its hugely successful debut in Pakistan’s first general elections, in 1970. No other party anywhere else in the country can boast such a feat.
Other provinces instead see regular alternation of power between major parties, and this in turn means that individual parties’ representation at the centre is volatile. Meanwhile, the PPP’s position in Sindh has consolidated even as it withered away in other provinces. The nature of Pakistan’s political system and the prominence of Karachi and Sindh within it means that the party’s enduring control there guarantees it significant and steady representation in the Senate and the national public sphere.
Even more extraordinary is the coalition of contradictory interests – conservative rural landlords, urban progressives and the poor everywhere – that has somehow held together over the decades in Sindh, even as it fell apart elsewhere in Pakistan. One of the consequences of those contradictions is a sharp contrast between the PPP’s message of upliftment and the glacially slow pace of change on the ground, especially in the countryside.
The continuing dominance of large landlords over local economies, bureaucracies, police and courts puts a very significant damper on change outside the province’s cities. As a result, Sindh continues to have some of Pakistan’s most unequal distributions of land ownership, along with significantly lower levels of rural development and services than Punjab. Northern Sindh, in particular, has a significant problem with violent “tribal” conflicts, which often devolve into gang warfare, with the state often little more than a hapless observer.
Sindh continues to have some of Pakistan’s most unequal distributions of land ownership
So why isn’t there more cynicism or room for local competitors? The key factor here is the sensitivity with which the Bhutto family – which has dominated the PPP since its formation almost 60 years ago – has cultivated its ties to rural Sindh. Three generations of polishing at Oxford and elite American universities has not come in the way of the family’s connection to this very different world. In particular, the Bhuttos have over the decades drawn on Sindh’s rich Sufi spiritual traditions and earned the reverence of many with highly public acts of generosity, service and self-sacrifice.
Perhaps this is why the near-constant allegations of corruption that dog them in urban Pakistan simply slide off in the countryside. As far as Sindhi voters are concerned, the Bhuttos have given them far more than they have taken over the past half century. This ranges from the protected status of the Sindhi language (preserving access to government jobs), to the multiple rounds of land reform in favour of landless tenant farm workers, and the establishment of the “Benazir Income Support Programme” to provide cash transfers to the very poorest. The result is that the Bhuttos, unlike other landlords, are still seen as committed to providing relief to those at the bottom of an extremely unequal society.
Earlier this year, the PPP government in Sindh secured funding from the World Bank to provide modest cash grants and, more importantly, land titles to women in 2 million households in Sindh whose adobe-mud homes were damaged or destroyed in the unprecedented glacier-driven flooding of 2022. The cash is intended to help families construct more modern, weather-resistant homes, but the real wealth transfer comes from the land titles, which grant clear asset ownership rights that were often lacking.
It is precisely this kind of initiative that keeps educated progressives as well as the poor coming back to the PPP and the Bhuttos despite some disappointments. Most notably, the PPP government has done little to rectify the huge – and hugely profitable – land-grabs from rural communities in and around Karachi by well-connected real-estate developers. In many cases, households in these indigenous communities lacked formal documentation to prevent the expropriation of their lands.
At the community level, acts of service and generosity generate the powerful emotional bonds which nurture die-hard supporters and activists, to the party, often from one generation to the next. The famed willingness of the most loyal supporters to sacrifice themselves for the movement – tested during several bouts of intense military repression in previous years – comes by example from the top. The imprisonment and execution of former prime minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto under Gen Zia ul Haq in 1979, and the assassination of his daughter Benazir Bhutto in 2008 under Gen Musharraf’s watch, cemented their image as martyrs of and for the people.
There is no greater monument to the success of this reframing than the enormous, marble-clad Bhutto family mausoleum, located in their ancestral village on the family estate in Larkana district. It now functions like any major Sufi shrine in Pakistan, attracting a steady stream of visitors from far and wide who come to make prayers, pay their respects and participate in the spectacle, especially when crowds swell to truly enormous sizes on the death anniversaries of those buried there.
The rose petals and tears scattered on Benazir’s and Zulfiqar’s tombs by thousands of visitors represent a kind of connection with ordinary people that most politicians can only dream of in life, let alone death. Even the tomb of Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the father and founder of the nation, 400 kilometres to the south in Karachi does not generate the same kinds of devotions and emotions. It is a world that does not easily translate to the rest of Pakistan or vice versa. As Pakistan wades through political uncertainty and dangerously close to climate instability, rural Sindh seems set to continue on its own distinct path, shaped by its very own martyrs and legends.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
RESULT
Fifth ODI, at Headingley
England 351/9
Pakistan 297
England win by 54 runs (win series 4-0)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
More coverage from the Future Forum
The years Ramadan fell in May
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Power: 240hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 390Nm at 3,000rpm
Transmission: eight-speed auto
Price: from Dh122,745
On sale: now
Zayed Sustainability Prize
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Landfill in numbers
• Landfill gas is composed of 50 per cent methane
• Methane is 28 times more harmful than Co2 in terms of global warming
• 11 million total tonnes of waste are being generated annually in Abu Dhabi
• 18,000 tonnes per year of hazardous and medical waste is produced in Abu Dhabi emirate per year
• 20,000 litres of cooking oil produced in Abu Dhabi’s cafeterias and restaurants every day is thrown away
• 50 per cent of Abu Dhabi’s waste is from construction and demolition
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Honeymoonish
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Elie%20El%20Samaan%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENour%20Al%20Ghandour%2C%20Mahmoud%20Boushahri%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Read more about the coronavirus
More from Neighbourhood Watch
Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Racecard
6pm: Mina Hamriya – Handicap (TB) $75,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
6.35pm: Al Wasl Stakes – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (Turf) 1,200m
7.10pm: UAE Oaks – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,900m
7.45pm: Blue Point Sprint – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,000m
8.20pm: Nad Al Sheba Trophy – Group 3 (TB) $200,000 (T) 2,810m
8.55pm: Mina Rashid – Handicap (TB) $80,000 (T) 1,600m
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Company profile
Company name: Suraasa
Started: 2018
Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker
Based: India, UAE and the UK
Industry: EdTech
Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding
The specs
Engine: 2.3-litre, turbo four-cylinder
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Power: 300hp
Torque: 420Nm
Price: Dh189,900
On sale: now
If%20you%20go
%3Cp%3EThere%20are%20regular%20flights%20from%20Dubai%20to%20Kathmandu.%20Fares%20with%20Air%20Arabia%20and%20flydubai%20start%20at%20Dh1%2C265.%3Cbr%3EIn%20Kathmandu%2C%20rooms%20at%20the%20Oasis%20Kathmandu%20Hotel%20start%20at%20Dh195%20and%20Dh120%20at%20Hotel%20Ganesh%20Himal.%3Cbr%3EThird%20Rock%20Adventures%20offers%20professionally%20run%20group%20and%20individual%20treks%20and%20tours%20using%20highly%20experienced%20guides%20throughout%20Nepal%2C%20Bhutan%20and%20other%20parts%20of%20the%20Himalayas.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
