Adil Najam
This is not a personal blog, so I am generally hesitant to write about what I am upto myself. However, given the great response to Fawad Zakariya’s insightful ATP Guest Post (6 July, 2006) on Imran Khan’s recent interview to the Sunday Observer, maybe this is the time to make an exception.
This Friday and Saturday I was in Chicago to speak at two different events that were part of the Annual APPNA Convention (APPNA is the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent in North America). On Friday my talk was about the future challenges related to the 2005 earthquake.
On Saturday, however, I was part of a 2-person panel on ‘Building Democratic Institutions in Pakistan,’ organized by the Pak-American Democracy Dialogue (PADD). The other featured speaker on the panel was former cricketer and now head of Tehrik-e-Insaaf, Imran Khan. I guess, to be honest, I (and not Imran) was the ‘other’ person.
What I had to say during my presentation and the hour-long Q&A session was of little significance (and not very different from what I have published elsewhere or written on ATP). But what Imran said should be of interest to many; and since you won’t find a report on this anywhere else, I guess we can say that this is an ATP Exclusive!
But before reporting on what he said, let me just say a few words about my impression of him based on this two-and-a-half hour interaction. As always, he came across as extremely passionate, clearly sincere, and quite principled. He also came across as rather angry but also determined. The first time I had met him was in the late 1980s; he was then a cricketing god, and I a sports reporter for the now defunct Daily Muslim. At that point, and in some subsequent meetings, he did come across as rather arrogant. I must confess that this time he did not seem arrogant. The characteristic self-confidence, charisma and an uncompromising posture was still there. But there was also an odd Imran-like humility. Maybe age combined with accumulated political experience of failure can do that people. Over all, I must confess, I came out being more impressed than I had thought I would be. I also surprised myself by agreeing with him more often (though not always) than I thought I would.
So, here are a few things he had to say–you will note that a number of these are interesting predictions and things we have not heard him saying before (these are based on the notes I took, and may not always be exact quotations)…
On his relationship with Gen. Musharraf. I now realize that our good relationship in the beginning was based on two wrong assumptions. He assumed, wrongly, that I wanted to be Prime Minister. And I assumed, wrongly, that he was a genuine reformer.
On politics in Pakistan. You have to realize that what we have in Pakistan is not just feudal politics, but ‘political terrorism.’ People are not forced but coerced into voting a particular way, through the most violent means.
On the ‘English Medium’ class: It is sad and ironic that the very people on whom we spend the largest amount of the nation’s educational resources–the ‘English Medium Class’–are the most deculturalized from the essence of Pakistan and the most depoliticized from the politics of Pakistan. They are the first to pontificate on what is wrong with politics and democracy, but the very last to vote. In fact, they usually do not vote at all.
On the next elections. We are approaching one of the most exciting phase of our country’s political history. You will see mass movements starting in September. And the next elections–if they are held–will either be like the 1970 elections or like the 1977 elections. Either, they will witness a total change of faces and everyone, including the authorities, will be surprised. Or, they will be so transparently manipulated that people will come to the streets to overturn the results.
Readers of this post may be interested on two subsequent posts on this subject:
- A survey of recent political stirrings in Pakistan that suggests that the way Pakistanis are talking about democracy may be changing and that there may be a rise in the ‘democratic sentiment.’
- An ATP Poll on what Gen. Musharraf should do about his uniform. Do vote.
 
 
 
I think Imran (above, who I assume is not IK!!!!) is correct. we need a democractic system and start with independent and clean elections without trying to decide in advance who will win.
Most of the people who vote for Imran Khan belong to the educated part of our society regardless of URDU or ANGRAZEE Medium; unfortunately that portion of Pakistan is a minority. He alone can not do anything to bring a change on the political scene of Pakistan. The educated minority does not bother to educate the uneducated majority. His actual movement is towards separating judiciary and election commission from the control of executive and legislature institutions of Pakistan. Either way you look at it, theoretically or practically; a democratic system without independent election commission and judiciary can not work.
None of us including Imran Khan has to save the entire country…all we have to do is improve our own situation and the situation around us and that will be plenty. Imran is the leader of his community which has 70% of its childern not in school…why doesnt he just get those kids educated if he can do that he has done a lot. I have a company and we employ 2 kids who we teach english/arabic and computers to….they cant aford to go to school so we do our little part.
some rants on imran can be found on the following link
http://www.pakistanidefenceforum.com/lofiversion/i ndex.php/t56298.html
i was actually searching for Imran Khan article written for the DAWN and found this
Happy reading ! Naveed
I also want to know what Imran tried to do in collaboration with Edhi and Hameed Gul. Edhi had to suddenly eascape out of the country (1995 or 1996) and from Dubai he gave statements that he was not a ploitician and has nothing to do with Imran and Hamid gul. Later in a TV interview Imran said he just wanted to create a ‘pressure group’ while edhi said Imran wanted to create a coup against the ‘hukoomat-e-waqt’ using edhi’s infrastructure which is present all over the country. What is the truth I don’t know but that episode certainly leaves doubts in ones mind about his sincerity towards reaching the top.
Imran also has near-zero popularity in Karachi. This is from the days he kicked a local cricket fan who had ran on ground to congratulate him. If he wins elections his party will certainly come to power from the North, and not South.
This email (not mine) is going around on email and looks like it is on same event:
“Something unusual happened at the meeting of the Association of Pakistani Physicians in North America (APPNA): Pakistani-American doctors hooted down their association office-holders when they tried to introduce Choudhry Shujaat at their annual meeting in Chicago!
Pakistani doctors have a reputation for conservatism and in the US most tend to be politically inactive. Their associations do a good deal of charitable work in Pakistan, but in the US they also function as lobbying arms of the military dictatorship and prominent pakistani doctors have been accused of having an undue fondness for photo-ops with every visiting crooked politician and general from Pakistan. True to this tradition, some officeholders of APPNA invited Choudhry Shujaat to the annual APPNA banquet this year. In the presence of about 3000 people, he was introduced as “former prime-minister of Pakistan, Choudhry Shujaat Hussain” and the attendees were asked to “give him a round of applause”. To the evident shock and amazement of the lackeys on stage, the hall erupted in loud boos and shouts of “shame, shame”. The speaker tried one more time, saying political disagreements were one thing, but he was an honored guest of APPNA, at which point the hall echoed again with boos and catcalls. So the APPNA officials finally gave up and no more was heard about Choudhry Shujaat or his services to the nation.
I was personally present at the banquet but in addition, I am told there was similar hooting when a smaller subgroup of Liaqat Medical college alumni were introduced to Mohammad Mian Soomro at another event. Meanwhile, Imran Khan received standing ovations from these doctors and people clapped repeatedly when Adil Najam gave a talk about the need for democracy in Pakistan. Those who are unfamiliar with the sycophantic toadying that used to be the norm at overseas pakistani organizations will not appreciate what a sea change this represents in the outlook of the Pakistani physicians in North America. The question is, if even the North American pakistani physicians are not willing to applaud the current military regime and its hired guns, then will general Musharraf have to pack his bags sooner than expected?”
Adil ill try to see if i can find it…
I do not think this is about IK. I think we are back at that stage when people are again fed up with the setup and want to give democracy a chance again. But for how long?