All leagues in one league

SOME important bits of Sindh have been connecting with Lahore in recent days, contributing not at all insignificantly to the growing gathering inside the powerful PML-N camp, which is drawing droves of new and old devotees from various parts of the country.

A few weeks ago, the Pir of Pagara gave audience here to those seeking more than simply his blessings for the coming general election, emphatically speaking about a coming together of the various factions of the Muslim League.

Last week it was the turn of Arbab Ghulam Rahim to partake of the pre-poll hospitality of the Punjab capital. He was sure to have an impact by making an appearance here and allowing himself to be counted on the list of influential individuals from deep inside Sindh who can stand up to the PPP in their territory.

The antidote to the PPP from Tharparkar who was handily exploited by Gen Pervez Musharraf during his long rule, was ostensibly in Lahore as the head of the PML-L.

Arbab Rahim was here to try and create a positive impression about the Sharif monolith's chances in Sindh. He addressed a PML- L meeting at the Alhamra but sitting in Lahore it is neither possible nor desirable to tell the PML-L and Pir Pagaro apart from the PML-N.

They may be important forces in their own areas on their own. From the Lahori prism, the true worth of the "influential figures" from Sindh gathering at the Sharif household lies in them helping the PML-N to press its credentials as an all-Pakistan party. Pir Pagara does have his promise but since he is new to politics, his image will take time building up outside his home turf. By comparison, Arbab Rahim may have a smaller party at his disposal in Sindh but he bears the most prominent anti-PPP image in Lahore.

It is a reputation which is powerful enough under the charged pre- poll atmosphere to act as a cover for his hobnobbing with Gen Musharraf, the PMLN's tormentor. That he was publicly humiliated and hounded out of the country by the PPP after the 2008 election is a huge plus in the context of his ties with the PML-N. Rahim's overall message was in sync with the display of unity in the ranks of leaguers which, we are reminded at this crucial stage, all think alike. Consequently it was somewhat jarring to have him ask for an extension in the period between the completion of a term by a government and the staging of a general election. Instead of the existing 60- day deadline for the Election Commission of Pakistan to hold the polls, Arbab Rahim politely favoured a 90-day period.

He seemed to be suggesting that an extra month was sufficient for holding the outgoing rulers accountable, a task which in his judgment was better taken up before an election than after.

The substance in Arbab Rahim's call