BY : Murtaza Rafiq Bhutto.
We all have witnessed the criticism or dirt thrown at the government benches, sometimes by opposition, sometimes in media trials and I must include with the backing or support from the political wing members.
On one side, if we talk in terms of financial year-current cabinet members did not even utilized the half of its budget. Whereas on the other side, current cabinet have been a centre of criticism over negligence, internal rifts, and the unfair distribution of portfolios.
It seems like something is cooked to serve the province of Sindh. Despite, knowing the fact that in politics every politician wants to serve the people of this country. Unfortunately, contradictions occur when it comes to responsibilities & respect while serving the nation. I have been witnessing the political tactics of pushing back certain politicians sometimes by the external forces or sometimes by internal politics. Hunger to retain the power took us too far.
On one side, where everyone is praising chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari for 26th amendment approval & reconciliation political game he played before floating the amendments in parliament. On the other side, controversy between sharjeel inam memon & jam khan shoro aroused in PPP’s Hyderabad power show & public gathering. Even today it is a matter of discussion in political surroundings. Similarly, Zia Lanjar’s law & order controlling tactics, and ismail dahiri’s accusations on Home Minister & his party leadership is also the talk of media fraternity.
Its true that every individual’s perspective towards these stories are different. It can create a problematic circumstance for ruling party if the opposition raise this particular agenda. Whereas, in media trials sometimes it feels like an individual is settling their own score or analyse, portray, and define particular issue on basis of personnel vendetta.
Zia Lanjar has already issued the statement related to peaceful protests, arrests, and I am still waiting that he shows the reason behind cordon off in Karachi Press Club’s surrounding. For the first time in the history PPP’s Member is referred as Dictator.
Whereas, Sharjeel Inam Memon have been a centre of attention, criticism, and character assassination because of his working methods as the minister of information. picking & choosing his own team and managing the funds accordingly. Well, these complaints are not new in the sphere of provincial ministry of information. I am sure everybody in media or politics are familiar with it. These kind of accusations have been raised earlier in the period of Saeed Ghani, Barrister Murtaza Wahab, and Syed Nasir Hussain Shah. Similarly, there are large numbers of divisions inside politics, bureaucratic circles, and departments.
Sharjeel Memon has been in the news for his ongoing trial that is related to awarding the advertisements on exorbitant rates to TV channels. he also holds the portfolio of information department which is a provincial regulatory authority for media outlets & journalist fraternity. This particular department plays a vital role in controlling the publicity matters of their government, political party, and building up the positive narrative of their respective leadership.
In history, his trial has been controversial from the very beginning, whether it is regarding the apprehension outside the territory & mentioning the false address in apprehension papers, arresting the employees of some advertisement agencies, some bureaucrats, and senior business owners that has been incarcerated along with him. Prominent business owners of Tv channels has also suffered similar apprehensions, incarcerations, and circumstances in the past. Another interesting fact is anyone in the media industry who faced those circumstances are somehow connected & had good relations with the party leadership of governing political parties.
In current circumstances, Memon is being criticised for owning a Tv channel which is not owned by him, awarding the advertisements to his own & his party members owned Tv channels like Dharti Tv. Whereas, the actual agenda is cutting & reducing the budget of newspapers advertisements which is a governments policy on national levels and other provincial information departments are also facing the same circumstance.
Journalists & information departments officials are like two sides of the same coin. Political interests or gains is the only thing that differentiates whether we are friends or rivals. If you see things from their perspective they are right on their side because this includes their job responsibility. a journalist will try his level best to portray the story in a neutral manner or against the government. Whereas, the information official’s duty includes the management of news or stories that goes against their government and in this combat most of the people get wounded. Sometimes a journalist goes heavy on them and sometimes they turn out to be heavier.
On one side, there are opponents that acts like a human being with rivals. on the other side, there are people in the established governmental sanctuary like an Information Officer Munir Ahmed Jalbani that have been in the news for criticising his own departments officials & minister. Whereas in current circumstances, he is trying to drag everyone in the centre to criticise his minister, directors, and other innocent people.
Moreover, a journalist has natural ability to smell & their gut feeling is really important to analyse & evaluate the pathway ahead by witnessing the current circumstance or political environment. Currently, political environment states that Sharjeel Inam Memon’s political decline is waiting ahead & political rise of Syed Nasir Hussain Shah is about to begin. Shah’s calm behaviour and right-centered relations inside & outside his political party serves as an edge in his politics.
The conspiracy is slowly & gradually surrounding memon’s political rise era to pushback his politics. There is a need to change his usual political strategies & implementation methods in order to excel further & political moves ahead will decide his fate in provincial political arena. Moreover, it is also a trial for the President Zardari, Stateswoman Faryal Talpur, and Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
Additionally, the controversies in various provincial political families are not hidden. internal administration issues does exist specifically in Sukkur, Larkana, Hyderabad, and Tharparkar surroundings. Prominent political personalities are neglected including President Sindh Chapter, Political Secretary to the Chairman, Incharge of PPP Media Cell Surrender Valasai, and the list continues.
Whereas, if we look into the politics of karachi. nobody can deny the controversies & tug of war between Saeed Ghani & Barrister Murtaza Wahab. Another prominent political personality & General Secretary of PPP sindh Chapter is appointed as the special Assistant to Chief Minister without any assigned portfolio.
In this whole scenario, Chief Minister serves as superior authority & needs to intervene in order to play his role in the resolution of internal political matters with a mutual consent of party presidents. These divisions will eventually affects politics of PPP & their respective government. I must include that Pakistan Peoples Party’s politics is transforming in a positive way but these political rifts & issues require much more time, attention, meetings, and discussions with individual members of PPP by Chief Minister to address their respective issues.
