How PPP Lost Punjab?

On November 30, 1967, the Pakistan People’s Party was formed in Lahore in the residence of Dr. Mubashir Hasan where former Foreign Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was chosen to be Chairman of the party. Punjab was a bastion of PPP because, in the first general elections held in December 1970, it begged around 80% of national and provincial assembly seats.

However, a paradigm shift took place following the hanging of Bhutto on April 4, 1979, and the coercive measures of the then Chief Martial Law Administrator and President General Zia-ul-Haq who took stern actions to mitigate PPP’s hold in Punjab. Why PPP lose Punjab and how it failed to regain its influence in Pakistan’s most populous province? Why Punjab is essential for PPP to re-establish its electoral hold in order to seek power at the federal level and why there is pessimism in the rank and file of that party that it has failed to contest PML (N) and PTI and relegated to an insignificant position? Mr. Z.



A. Bhutto while denying Awami League to govern Pakistan after December 1970 elections proudly asserted that Mujib may have a majority in the National Assembly but it is Punjab and Sindh which should be recognized as the bastion of power. Particularly, the PPP while gaining a simple majority in Sindh got absolute electoral strength in Punjab.

And why Mr. Bhutto was confident that having support from the Punjab-centric military and bureaucracy he would not allow Awami League to form a government on its own? Bhutto’s rapport with Punjabi generals and bureaucrats convinced Mujib that as long as East Pakistan remained a part of Punjab dominated state of Pakistan it would always be deprived of its basic rights. Hence, Pakistan was disintegrated and Bangladesh emerged as an independent state on the map of the world in 1971.

Bhutto’s dent of popularity in Punjab was because of his authoritarian and suppressive mode of governance particularly against his political opponents The same Punjab which was a source of power for PPP in 1970 is in tatters in Punjab as in February 2024 elections in the provincial assembly it got only 14 out of 371 seats. Likewise, PPP got a handful of National Assembly seats from Punjab. The erosion of PPP in Punjab is not an immediate phenomenon but is an outcome of decades of process since 1977 which made sure that slogans that mesmerised the voters of Punjab in the 1970 elections were neutralised.

Ironically, if the PPP got more than a two-thirds majority from Punjab during the December 1970 elections Awami League got almost 100% majority from East Pakistan. Punjab and Bengal had given their decision in favor of PPP and Awami League respectively but neither Awami League got a seat from West Pakistan nor PPP got a seat from East Pakistan. Punjab, according to Bhutto was the bastion of power but that center of power was not willing to accept the majority of Awami League.

As a result, it was like Punjab and Bengal schism which led to the break-up of Pakistan. Lost Childhoods: The Psychological Toll Of Militancy On Pashtun Children Why same Punjab which during the 1970 general elections led to the electoral sweep of that party becomes its graveyard during the February 2024 general elections? When PPP lost Punjab it also lost Pakistan and only a miracle can enable it to regain its electoral power in Pakistan’s most populous province. During the March 1977 general elections, Bhutto’s PPP swept Punjab but the opposition Pakistan National Alliance (PNA) alleged massive rigging and launched a movement against the results of the elections.

On April 9, 1977, when the provincial assembly session was called witnessed large-scale violence in Lahore. Martial Law was imposed on July 5, 1977, which remained in force till the time it was lifted on January 1, 1986. In the November 1988 general elections PPP under Benazir Bhutto failed to get a majority in the Punjab Assembly and got a marginal electoral majority in the National Assembly.

Punjab came under the rule of PML (N) and since then that province has not been ruled by PPP. Even during the 1993 and 2008 elections when the PPP formed government in the Center, Punjab was ruled by PML (N). During July 2018 elections PPP performed badly in Punjab and PTI formed the government.

Since the 2013 general elections, PPP has gotten number 3rd position below PML (N) and PTI. How PPP lost Punjab needs to be analysed from three angles. First, the failure of PPP to address issues of a popular nature.

The charisma of Z. A. Bhutto and his anti-India rhetoric along with the slogan of bread, shelter, and cloth mesmerised the voters of Punjab and Sindh but after coming to power in December 1971 he reneged from his pro-people program and joined hands with feudal elite and compromised with the generals.

Bhutto’s dent of popularity in Punjab was because of his authoritarian and suppressive mode of governance particularly against his political opponents. He even didn’t spare stalwarts of his party like Malik Ghulam Mustafa Khar and Hanif Ramay who were governor and chief minister of Punjab province. The Lost Soul Of A Nation: Rediscovering Purpose And Authenticity PPP needs to start from scratch in Punjab and seek popular leadership charisma along with adhering to principles instead of seeking power The two stalwarts of PPP turned against Bhutto which negatively impacted his support base in Punjab.

After Z. A. Bhutto, Nusrat, and Benazir Bhutto took the reins of the party and struggled against the martial law regime the guilt of Punjab that it failed to prevent the hanging of Bhutto couldn’t be removed.

On April 10, 1986, when Benazir landed in Lahore she was awarded a heroic welcome. By that time the slogan of Punjabi nationalism propagated by the then Chief Minister of Punjab Nawaz Sharif and patronised by Zia ul Haq emerged as a major threat to PPP in the province. Since then, Punjab, which was the power base of PPP dwindled.

Second, the PPP has lost Punjab and is reduced to a political party representing rural Sindh because both its central and provincial leadership failed to deal with the challenge from PML (N) and PTI. PPP got power at the federal level in 1988, 1993, and 2008 but was unable to organise its rank and file in Punjab. It tried to retain a degree of support in the Saraiki belt of Punjab but it failed to maintain that electoral power in the February 2024 elections.

Once the erosion of PPP in Punjab accelerated since 1990, its ‘Sindh card’ which it used to play also failed to reach the corridors of power at the federal and Punjab level. PPP’s predicament also reflects its quandary to appeal to the voters of Punjab. Since Benazir’s assassination, PPP’s vote bank in Punjab has also been marginalised.

Compromising on principles, particularly by acquiescing to the policies of the military establishment also raised serious questions about the PPP’s credibility. According to critics damage done to PPP was not caused by the Martial Law regime of General Zia ul Haq but was done by the leadership of Asif Ali Zardari and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari because of their parochial, short-sighted, and opportunistic way of doing things. PPP’s betrayal of the masses and its focus on seeking power by all means also damaged its reputation.

Its voters got disillusioned and angry as to why its party leadership failed to raise issues at the grassroots level and compromised with the military establishment. Political Parallels: How Kejriwal and Imran Khan Lost Their Revolutions Finally, PPP’s support to the PML (N) to form its government in the center and not become part of that set-up reflected how insecure it is from the popularity of PTI. Its opportunistic behavior was reflected by getting the presidency and the governorship of Punjab and KPK but not becoming part of the PML (N) led government.

By not opposing the cruel and oppressive policies of those who matter and targeting PTI by using coercive measures, the PPP lost its credibility and the sacrifices that its workers and leaders rendered against the martial law regime of General Zia-ul-Haq. Punjab which has switched from pro to anti-military establishment policies as reflected during the fraudulent February 2024 general elections not only rejected PML (N) but also PPP. Critics argue that the PML (N) government in Punjab lacks legitimacy because it was formed by rigging elections in February 2024.

Three years after the removal of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government through the controversial vote of no-confidence in April 2022, neither PML (N) nor PPP or MQM the principal backers of the motion on vote of no-confidence along with those who pull strings in the military establishment are able to deal with PTI’s opposition. If the PPP is at a crossroads in the Punjab, it is because of its faulty approach neglecting popular issues faced by the voters of that province. PPP needs to start from scratch in Punjab and seek popular leadership charisma along with adhering to principles instead of seeking power.

Otherwise, only a miracle can help the PPP reclaim Punjab. Even in Sindh, PPP’s position is at stake because of the water issue and the rise of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Junior as a major competitor..