Impact of Urbanization on Political Culture a Case Study of Faisalabad City
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International Journal of Educational Science and Research (IJESR) ISSN 2249-6947 Vol. 3, Issue 2, Jun 2013, 69-74 © TJPRC Pvt. Ltd. IMPACT OF URBANIZATION ON POLITICAL CULTURE A CASE STUDY OF FAISALABAD CITY MUGHEES AHMED1 & RAHEELAASFA2 1Chairman/Associate Professor, Department of Political Science & International Relations, Government College University Faisalabad, Pakistan 2Lecturer, Department of Political Science & International Relations, Government College University, Faisalabad, Pakistan ABSTRACT This study proposed a model of individual voter behavior that can be applied to aggregate data at the urban area levels while accounting for differences in political preferences across rural, regions and across voters within each district. How political preferences in Faisalabad deviate from the average voterand how each candidate outfits to average voter preferences withindistrict. The voter first evaluates the candidatesto decide whether or not to cast his vote, and then choosesthe candidate who provides him with the highest value. Unobservable voters within each urban and rural area may be observed through the study of their voting behavior. In this study impact of urbanization on voting behavior of the voters of district Faisalabad is discussed. Analytical and behavioral approach is adopted in this piece of work KEYWORDS: Analytical and Behavioral Approach, Sandhilianwali, Arab Baddu Race INTRODUCTION Settlement Faisalabad is situated in central Punjab.This district consists of six sub-divisions. The people of Sandal Bar (Before1891 this area was vast tropical forest called Sandal bar) belonged to Arab Baddu race. According to census of 1891 its population was 64,610.1 The real work of colonization began in February 1892. In a letter No. 327 of 22nd July 1891, from the Revenue Secretary, Punjab Government explained as follows the principles for the distribution of the land. “It seemed essential to preserve the tradition of Punjab. No other general frame of society is at present either possible or desirable in the Province. An area has been reserved for capitalists. Capitalist forming in general is not a system suitable to the Punjab. But a moderate infusion of the capitalist element is not without advantages. It supplies natural-leaders for the new society. It gives opportunity to Government to reward its well-deserving servants.2 In 1892 the settlers on waste land were from all over the Punjab and belonged to cultivator families settled. Under the system followed for the colonization of the area and the considerations which weighed with the colonists actually determined the composition and character of the later days inhabitants of this colony who laid the foundation of a stable and prosperous rural society.3 The local people were annoyed on this settlement. They detested the interference in their liberty and frightened the settler. Locals were in outer circle while Muslim settlers were in the middle and Hindus and 1 Gazetteer of the Chenab Colony 1904,(1996) Lahore, Sang-e-Meel Publications, pp14-17. 2Ibid. p.29. 3 Pasha, MuhammedZagham$ Shahi,Shaukat Ali(1996) History of Lyallpur nowFaisalabad, Faisalabad, KitabMarkaz, p.126 70 Mughees Ahmed & Raheelaasfa Sikhs were settled in inner circle.4 Sketch of colonization scheme of Sandal Bar (Faisalabad) Circle 1: Faisalabad city and surroundings Circle 2: Toba, Sumandari, Sahianwala, Barnala, Aminpur, Nawan Lahore, Gojra., Locals are in circle 3. This area is including. Sandhilianwali, Kamalia, Tandla, KunjwaniSatyana, Jhamara, Jarranwala, Chiniot, Mochiwala(Jhang) Division of immigrants by district Table 1: Population of Immigrants District Population Biradari Persons Muslims Hindus Sikhs Sialkot 103,390 Jatt 230,250 150,602 19,139 60,318 Amritsar 67,963 Arain 70,246 70,234 -- -- -- 12 Jallandhar 43,593 Rajput 43,935 40,120 1,120 2,677 Gurdaspur 43,593 Gujjar 6,580 6,402 154 24 Hoshiarpur 35,099 Pathan 4,750 4,750 - - - - - - - - Source, Gazetteer of the Chenab Colony1904,pp.36, 57 After independence a large number of refugees came here. Reasons were, Huge population of Sikhs and Hindus were migrated to India and they left productive agricultural land and Muslim refugees of East Punjab were settled here. Relatives of already settled Muslims of east districts came here .The land of circle 1(see sketch) allotted to refugees which was closer to Lyallpur (Faisalabad) city. Being an industrial city and big grain market it was an attractive city for labors. Productive land and near to market helped the refugees to develop their economic status. They started to take part in politics. Pasha comments on the situation “Only a society like the one which developed in the Colony area could successfully face the challenge of the arrival of a large number of the refugees from the East Punjab after independence and their rehabilitation on the land abandoned by the non- Muslim owners in Lyallpur (Faisalabad). Its rural population in 1947 was about seven lac which rose to 18, 70,000 by 1951.5 4 Ahmed, Mughees, Dr.(2004) Faisalabad Division keSiasat per Biradarism kayAsraat,Ph.D Thesis, Department of Political Science, B Z University, Multan, s p 45. 5 Pasha, MuhammedZagham$ Shahi,Shaukat Ali(1996) History of Lyallpur now Faisalabad, Faisalabad, KitabMarkaz, p.126 Impact of Urbanization on Political Culture a Case Study of Faisalabad City 71 Urbanization Faisalabad city population detail is given in table Table 2: Population of Faisalabad City 1901 5,000 1906 13,483 1947 80,000 1951 1,79,144 1961 4,25,248 1972 8,33,000 1981 11,04,000 1998 19,70,000 (District,53,40,771) Source: census reports.( Ahmed, Mughees, Dr.(2004) Faisalabad Division keSiasat per Biradarism kayAsraat,Ph.D Thesis, Department of Political Science, B Z University, ultan,p.68 Numbers mentioned in table 2 show the mixed culture of Faisalabad where along with locals and Abadkars(settlers) a huge number of refugees came from different east districts. Although earlier situation was same but religious elements disappeared and biradari factors came into sight in local culture to fill the gap of leadership and contest. Ahmed Ghazali writes about this mixed cuture; “mixing of local biradaries and migrated created a new type of culture which jumbled the previous one”6 The population of Faisalabad was 2152401 in 1951, which had jumped to 5429547 during 1998, an increase of 150% in 47 years showing in average increase of 3.2 % per annum. Faisalabad city, which had a population 9171 in 1901 jumped 179000 in 1951, had further jumped to 2009000 during 1998 census. The total increase in 47 years is 1000%, which is 21.3 % per annum.In 1951 population of city was 2152401. In 1998 it was 5429547; hence an increase of 150% in 47 years. In 1901 population of Faisalabad City was 9171. In 1951 population of Faisalabad City jumped to 2009000. Total approximately population of Faisalabad City in 2012 was 3547446. Impacts of Urbanization on Voting Behavior There are 11 National Assembly and 22 Provincial Assembly’s seats in Faisalabad district. In the last election (2002) total voters of district were 31, 87,283. Biradarism (caste politics) looks prominent element of electoral politics of Faisalabad district. The first general elections were held in 1970 and Pakistan people’s party got success in the district. Political ideology decreased biradari elements but successful candidates were belonged to major biradaries. From 1977 to date election results confirmsbiradari influences on politics. Because of biradari importance to the decisive middle class voters, every major political party acknowledged it and supported its implementation as in ticket balancing. Political parties carefully weigh the relative strengths and weaknesses of candidates seeking tickets, including the strength of their biradaris(clans).7So, political parties are occupied by biradaries. Biradaries cannot sort out by ideology. Every biradari join a political party to oppose other biradari. If one joins Muslim League the other biradari will support Pakistan People’s Party and next time the result will different when A join PP, B will automatically support PML. However, the results of Faisalabad city are different. Local political leaders have an attitude of changing their parties.12 6 Ghazali,Ahmed(1986) Sandal Bar, Lahore, Feroze Sons, p.101 7 Wilder, Andrew R.(1999),The Pakistani Voter: Electoral Politics and Voting Behaviour in The Punjab, Karachi: Oxford University Press, P.190 72 Mughees Ahmed & Raheelaasfa Political parties are high jacked by local biradaries. In this context,Martial Law gave much importance to biradarism and this tendency increased because of the inhibition upon the political parties and biradarism being a large content played a vital role in filling the gap of political parties and political leadership. Biradriescannot be ignored, whether the elections are based on parties or non- party base. The local biradaries are the actual power in the political contest. It is fact that biradries play a vital role in elections than political parties.. Wilder writes that “A good deal of biradari, “ticket balancing” is done between the candidates for a National Assembly seat and several the provincial assembly constituencies within each.8and SameenaSaboohi (1990) concludes in her research discourse “The Elections 85, 88, 90, the study of District Faisalabad” that “the political parties kept in view the power of the biradri of the candidate in spite of loyalty with party”9 The analysis of the Herald Magazine (October 2002) points out the impacts of biradarism on