KARACHI:
The Mirza family of Badin, long-time adversaries of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and outspoken critics of the Zardari family, has been routed, losing all seats from the district for the first time since their entry into parliament in 1993.
Dr Zulfiqar Mirza, the former home minister of Sindh, his wife Dr Fehmida Mirza, Pakistan’s first female National Assembly speaker, and their son Barrister Hasnain Mirza failed to maintain their political dominance in Badin, attributing their decline to the “rifts” with the PPP.
According to a close associate of the Mirza family, “A financially weak Mirza family cannot defeat the PPP’s affluent landlords.”
Originally hailing from Hyderabad, Dr Zulfiqar Mirza gained prominence in Sindh in the late 1980s through his association with Asif Ali Zardari, the former president and PPP co-chairperson. He entered the National Assembly in 1993 by defeating Mir Murtaza Bhutto, the brother of Benazir Bhutto, in Badin.
After a break from politics, Dr Fehmida entered the political arena and won as MNA from her husband’s constituency in 1996. She continued her electoral success in the same constituency until the 2018 general elections.
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Dr Zulfiqar distanced himself from the PPP leadership in 2010, while Dr Fehmida and their son Hasnain remained with the party until 2015. In 2018, the family joined the Grand Democratic Alliance, securing MNA and MPA positions from Badin and Tando Bago seats.
In 2018, Dr Zulfiqar faced defeat at the hands of the PPP’s Muhammad Ismail Rahu from Shaheed Fazal Rahu taluka. The family also introduced their younger son, Muhammad Hassam Mirza, in local government and general elections, but he failed to secure a prominent position.
In 2024, the Mirza family faced uncertainty as their nomination papers were initially rejected, only to be approved by the court a few days before the election day.
Hasnain Mirza was defeated by the PPP’s Arbab Ameer Amanullah from Tando Bago, while Hassam Mirza faced losses in both provincial and National Assembly seats in Badin. Dr Fehmida, deprived of her party’s electoral symbol, the Star, couldn’t actively contest NA-223.
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Political analysts attribute the downfall of the Mirza family to their rifts with the PPP, resulting in a loss of control over the district administration.
Badin’s senior journalist, Hanif Samo, noted that the Mirza family enjoyed tremendous support from the people during the 2015 local government elections but failed to maintain it. He observed a gradual erosion of their control over the local and district administration, which may have contributed to their recent electoral setback.
Tanveer Arain, another senior journalist, expressed that the people of Badin still desire the Mirza family to remain in power. “Dr Zulfiqar is alone, and all the landlords in the area are against him. They utilised all their resources to defeat him,” he commented.
During a recent public gathering at DC Chowk, Dr Zulfiqar pledged to expose the corrupt mafia, alleging that corrupt land grabbers had been falsely given a mandate. Dr Fehmida, Hasnain, and others also addressed the gathering, claiming that the PPP had failed to deliver for the people of Badin. They asserted that the people of Sindh would not tolerate a false mandate.
