BY FAROOQ SULEHRIA

In its first major electoral success, the Labour Party Pakistan has bagged 12 local council seats in the Sindhi town of Larkana, home town and power base of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto. One party candidate also won in the Punjab town of Liah.

The main force behind the election win was the Watan Dost Mazdoor Federation, which brings together most of the unions in the city. Its leaders have joined the LPP over the last three years.

The elections, held in 18 districts on December 31, were the first of four phases of local body elections; the rest will happen within the next six months. They are an attempt by the military government to build a stable political base for itself.

The LPP decided to contest the elections after much debate, a majority eventually resolving that participating would be a better way to confront the military's strategy than boycotting.

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