Vantage | Can Bilawal Bhutto best Pakistan's army to win elections?

Pakistan is about to go through general elections, or can one say 'selection'? Polls will open on February 8, but the results won't be a surprise. It's very clear that the army is supporting Nawaz Sharif, who leads the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).But Sharif’s rivals are not giving up, and no, it is not about Imran Khan but about the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), the party of Bhutto-Zardaris.The PPP and the PML-N were allies. Together, they had toppled Imran Khan, but this time, they are fighting separately, and leading the PPP is Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who is a political royalty in Pakistan—the son of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and former president Asif Ali Zardari—the grandson of former prime minister and president Zulfikar Ali Bhutto.Bilawal Bhutto himself was a foreign minister, but can he go one step ahead? Can he win the elections in Pakistan? Well, Bhutto certainly thinks so. He has campaigned much longer than his rivals. The PPP's campaign began in late December. Bhutto himself has visited almost 33 Pakistani towns.Compare this to the Sharifs; their campaign started just last week, so Bhutto has invested more time and energy. He is pitching for mainly two things: First, he is promising young leadership; 66 per cent of Pakistan's population is under 30 years of age. While Nawaz Sharif is 74 and Imran Khan is 71, Bilawal Bhutto is just 35 years old. So he says he understands the people better. The second is 'new politics'.Bhutto says he will end the cycle of revenge in Pakistan.“I appeal to you; look, in this election there is competition between the "tiger" and the “arrow” come join me, support me, I will eliminate revenge politics," he said.Pakistani politics is a dangerous game. If the army supports you, you are king; if not, you are persecuted. One can look at Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan. When Imran Khan was in power, Sharif lived in exile. Now that Sharif is back, Khan is in jail. Bhutto says he will end this cycle.However, the PPP's election returns have been modest. In 2013, they won just 42 out of 342 seats; in 2018, they improved slightly; from 42, the PPP reached 54. And both times, the PPP came in second. So why should this time be any different?Well, Bhutto has a plan; he says he is betting on independent politicians."I would prefer to form a Pakistan People’s Party-led government with independent politicians. You know, lots of independent politicians, probably the highest in our history, are taking part in the coming elections. Aside from that, I think unfortunately both the Muslim League and the Tehreek-e-Insaf have proved that they are two sides of the same coin,” he said.Imran Khan's party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has lost its election symbol, a cricket bat. So some of their candidates are contesting as independents, and Bhutto is courting them. He knows the PML-N voters will not switch, but Imran Khan's voters may. His party is very different from the last elections.Imran Khan's party, the PTI, has lost its election symbol, a cricket bat. So some of their candidates are contesting as independents, and Bhutto is courting them. He knows the PML-N voters will not switch, but Imran Khan's voters may. His party is very different from the last election.Imran Khan himself is in jail, his top leaders have left the party, the symbol of the cricket bat is gone, and there is no army support. So voting for the PTI is pointless, which is why Bhutto is pursuing them. He has asked PTI supporters to vote for the PPP. In return, he has made a promise that if he comes to power, all political prisoners will be released.That is a big carrot to dangle. Some 10 thousand PTI workers are in jail. They must have family and friends. So Bhutto's promise could be a game-changer. Of course, all of this is based on an impossible assumption—the assumption that elections will be free—but rest assured, they won't be.Even Bhutto realises this:"Nawaz Sharif is certainly giving the impression that he is relying on something other than the people of Pakistan to become prime minister for the fourth time," said Bhutto.There is no impression here; it is the truth: Sharif is relying on the army to win; if Bhutto wants to play this game, he should accept it.There is no point talking about the youth, climate change, or the politics of revenge; all that matters is the army. If the PPP doesn't accept that they will remain where they are, that is at number two in every election.The author is contributing editor, Firstpost. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely that of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.Read all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News,India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.