People are not prepared to put their lives in danger to attend one of BB’s rallies, but also they are know what a failure she has been in power previously.
After the bombing, Bhutto faces challenge to attract crowds on the campaign trail
Bringing her election campaign to her home province, Benazir Bhutto vowed that neither bullets nor bombs could keep her away from the Pakistani people. And she sounded confident of victory in the Jan. 8 parliamentary elections, telling The Associated Press her party was poised to win as long as the vote is free and fair. ‘‘Bhutto is alive! Bhutto is alive! Bhutto is alive!’’ she shouted at a rally this week, invoking the memory of her late father who founded the populist Pakistan People’s Party by echoing his promises of bread, clothes and shelter for all. Several thousand flag-waving party faithful lapped up the rhetoric and cheered back, their weathered faces squinting against the late afternoon sun. ‘‘She will take care of the poor,’’ said farmer Talib Hussain, his hair dusty from the 55-mile drive from his village. ‘‘Inflation has made our lives miserable.’’
**Yet the rear half of the municipal sports field in the southern city of Mirpurkas, a stronghold district for Bhutto’s party, was mostly empty for the rally Tuesday - a sign that security fears, public apathy and memories of her ineffectual two terms in office in the late 1980s and early 1990s have taken some of the steam out of Bhutto’s long-awaited homecoming. **Bhutto, back from eight years of self-exile, is hoping that a victory in parliamentary elections can bring her a third term as prime minister. She is undeterred by the suicide attack that hit her arrival parade in Karachi in October, killing about 150 people.
Re: After the bombing, Bhutto faces challenge to attract crowds on the campaign trail
*Yet the rear half of the municipal sports field in the southern city of Mirpurkas, a stronghold district for Bhutto's party, was mostly empty for the rally Tuesday - a sign that security fears, public apathy and memories of her ineffectual two terms in office in the late 1980s and early 1990s have taken some of the steam out of Bhutto's long-awaited homecoming. *
Well. BB has realised she and her party no longer has the support they had in the past. It is a matter of survival for them now.
Re: After the bombing, Bhutto faces challenge to attract crowds on the campaign trail
PML-Q and MQM resting on shoulders of dictator. They don't have to worry about rallies as both know that Mush will use his full power to select I mean get them elected. On the other hand MQM rely on gunda gardi, batta khori, terrorising and killing of opponents to get their seats.
Re: After the bombing, Bhutto faces challenge to attract crowds on the campaign trail
Well some are using the nations money to rig the elections some their own loot, all looteras with the biggest lootera of all time sitting in the president house.
Re: After the bombing, Bhutto faces challenge to attract crowds on the campaign trail
Well, she has a lot to dig, but still struggling to gather large crowds. :)
She was in Rahim yar Khan today, in southern Punjab and the turnout was really pathetic. In fact it was an embarrassing turnout for her. No wonder she has been avoiding Punjab for so long.
Re: After the bombing, Bhutto faces challenge to attract crowds on the campaign trail
She was in Rahim yar Khan today, in southern Punjab and the turnout was really pathetic. In fact it was an embarrassing turnout for her. No wonder she has been avoiding Punjab for so long.
Like I said, people Pakistan are no fools. They have seen through BB's false promises and hence no longer support her. She is in for a shock at the elections.
Re: After the bombing, Bhutto faces challenge to attract crowds on the campaign trail
PPP is pulling more crowds in one rally than the lota league in all its staged rallies put together and oh they are not forced to come and sit there till the party leader comes.
Re: After the bombing, Bhutto faces challenge to attract crowds on the campaign trail
I bet it was a shock for her that only 1500 people turned out to greet her in Peshawar, a city of millions of people.
Thin attendance at BB’s Peshawar Rally
PESHAWAR: The Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP) public meeting addressed by party Chairwoman Benazir Bhutto on Wednesday lacked public attendance for fear of a suicide attack. The Charsadda suicide blast that occurred on Eidul Azha and claimed around 56 lives was fresh in the public’s minds and was one of the main reasons for thin attendance. Neutral observers and security people estimated the number of people present at the Arbab Niaz Stadium to be between 1,500 to 2,000 and these were mostly PPPP leaders and activists. According to an estimate, there were around 10,000 chairs placed in the ground. A huge number of police and FC personnel were deployed in and outside the stadium and on building tops. The police was also deployed outside the stadium. Several roads leading to the stadium were closed due to tough security arrangements, while shops and markets around the stadium also remained closed. Bhutto’s arrival time at the stadium was about 11:00am. However, she reached the stadium in the afternoon. The stadium was decorated with party flags, banners and posters with the candidates’ photographs. Most candidates for the National Assembly and the provincial assembly seats addressed the public meeting. Lt General (r) Tauqeer Zia, former PCB chairman who recently joined the PPPP, and Babar Awan also addressed the public meeting
Spot on