The spiritual leader of the Hurs, the Pir Pagaro, passed away in London on Tuesday, at the age of 83, having been shifted there after falling ill in Karachi. He will be buried in his native Pir Jo Goth alongside his ancestors. At the time of his death, he was still an important figure in national politics, and his political predictions were considered important. His loss will be most strongly felt in Muslim League circles, where he was a constant factor for party unity, and had only recently made another attempt in that direction, which was a reprise of 1974, when League factions united to make him party President. However, the new unification effort foundered on the refusal of the PML-N and the PML-Q to join hands with him, even after he sent a special envoy in ex-Prime Minister Zafarullah Jamali.
One of the imponderables about the Pir was his close links to GHQ, but true to personality, he made no attempt to conceal this, and boasted about it instead. He was best known for his oracular statements, which involved this relationship, and which purported to predict the future. It was this closeness that he used to good effect in the Zia era, when political activity was banned, but the Pir was allowed some latitude. As freedom of expression was by no means complete, the Pir’s pronouncements, already obscurely stated, were mined by the public in the hope of finding out what was actually going on. Underlying this was the fact that he was the only steadfastly anti-PPP force in interior Sindh, despite numerous defeats in his home constituency. However, towards the end, his PML-F entered the Sindh coalition led by the PPP, with one of its MPAs becoming a minister. But there were also negotiations underway with the PML-N, with a view to the next election, and an alliance in it.
The Pir had almost become synonymous with League politics, and though he played a very important role in Sindh politics, he was very much a national politician, and his loss will be felt across the country. As it is, his death will modify the scenario for the next election. He will not just be missed by other politicians and his family, but also by his myriad spiritual followers. While his position as the Pir Pagaro enabled, even obliged, him to play a political role of prominence, not enough attention is paid to the personal aspect of his life, such as his abiding interest in horseracing. He was a unique character among the ordinary run of politicians, and will be sorely missed on this count.