SMOKERS’ CORNER: WHY THE PPP DOMINATES SINDH

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) holds a seemingly unbreakable grip on Sindh, despite persistent criticism from the mainstream media. The opposition parties, including the Pakistan Muslim League-Functional (PML-F) and the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), have failed to challenge this dominance. The PML-F, which traces its roots back to the mid-1950s, was formed following the fragmentation of Pakistan’s founding party, the Muslim League.

In the 1965 presidential election, the Council League allied with leftist and Islamist parties to form the anti-Ayub Combined Opposition Parties (COP) alliance. After COP's defeat, Fatima Jinnah spearheaded the creation of a distinct Muslim League faction, appointing Pir Pagara, a prominent Sindhi politician and spiritual leader, to its central leadership, thus creating the PML-F.

The PML-F has struggled to challenge the PPP's dominance, as its electoral base mainly consists of Pagara’s spiritual followers and lacks broader grassroots organization. The opposition parties' inability to build compelling platforms and mobilize the public around economic issues has further contributed to their failure. The PPP has effectively utilized the provincial machinery, control over public resources, and the narrative of Sindhi identity to maintain its political dominance.