Adil Najam
Flying in from London to Islamabad, I bumped into Imran Khan on the plane. There he was, sitting a couple of rows ahead of me, reading The News, with his own picture on its front page (meeting Nawaz Sharif in London). I had not yet seen the paper, nor followed that days events in London (I was flying in from Amsterdam where I had been in meetings all day). We exchanged a few pleasantries, said nice things about what we had been up to since we had last met in Chicago just about a year ago (I had reported in detail on that here).
I must say, I did not fully grasp everything he said until later after I landed in Islamabad and first saw his supporters and TV cameras lined up at the airport, and then every news channel covering his press conference in London, and its political implications. In our short conversation he pretty much covered the exact same points I saw him presenting on TV,with pretty much the same passion. I guess he had come fresh from the press conference. Since all of that is now in the news already, I will not repeat it. The one thing I did ask him about were rumors about his ‘patch up’ with the MQM leading to the lifting of the ban on his entry into Sindh. Readers would remember those rumors surfacing everywhere, including on ATP, a few days ago. He shrugged those away as nonsense and just rumors.
My own sense from this very brief discussion chat was that:
(a) he does seem very serious abut taking on MQM Chief Altaf Hussain,
(b) that he fully realizes the seriousness of what he is doing, and
(c) he seems to be doing this out of personal conviction much more than political opportunism.
I may turn out to be wrong, but my first impression was that the earnestness with which he spoke about what he was doing and why that cannot be easily faked. This, then, seems not to be a story that will fizzle away easily. Not if Imran can help it.
If this is, in fact, so then Pakistan politics will continue to become even more interesting than it already is. ‘Party’ politics may just come back into limelight, but not ways one had expected. If indeed there are to be elections in Pakistan soon then the impact of this tussle could go well beyond defining what happens to just Imran Khan and the MQM.
By the way, as it turned out it was an interesting PIA fight to be on. Interior Minister Aftab Sherpao boarded soon after me. As did Commerce Minister Humayun Akhtar Khan (returning, I believe from the WTO meeting in Geneva). They both greeted Imran with graciously, and briefly, and then then nearly all of us made teh best of the overnight flight by going off to sleep. Of course, I first watched the ‘Tribute to a Legend’ show on filmstar Muhammad Ali on the PIA channel.
P.S. In case you wonder, no, I did not speak to either of the Ministers. I do not know either of them, and would not have known what to say anyhow, especially if either of them had seen my own most recent musings on the political happenings in Pakistan.
He has everything in life, and he doesnt really need to do politics which has caused great harm to his glorious fame. But he is doing it for the sake of his people, and I really respect his cause.
Imran khan has not been able to win, but at least there is someone who is speaking truth and it is obvious that he wants to do better things and clearly has failed to do so, but we should analyze it and help him coz our next generation will ask us the questions if we fail too.
Let us decide today, that we will become his team, support him morally and wake up the silent majority. I have never voted before but this time I am determined to do so; whether tehreek-e-insaf wins or not; but we have to keep this movement running.
God help Pakistan,God help Imran Khan
Imran has indeed matured as politician. While i am not sure about he being successful but i would sure like to copy again three important points he said in previous post. How right he is, dead right.
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1. 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.
2.
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.
3. 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.
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The second and the third point are very important in my view.
Well i dont think there is any silver bullet to change Pakistan. What we first need is revolution in education and economy and then in media, police and institution. Musharaf is not ideal but Pakistan GDP is growing at rate of 7% (5th in world) in his era. Imran is a capriciuos person. He slap a news journalist in past and can do impulsive decision when in power. I will say if Musharaf leave army and restore transparent democracy then it will be ood start.
By the way, I think Imran may be seious on this. Important point is that he is taking on ALTAF HUSAIN, Not the MQM. I think some in MQM wil like it if he succeeds in this.
Does this mean that Adil Najam is back again in Pakistan? Wow, is somehing afoot?
People in opposition always say they will do this and do that but they are really judged when they are in power. So far who ever became in power dishearted all of us. Imran Khan will also be judged really whenever he will become a head of state. So wait and see now.