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.
Imran khan = Charisma. Charisma does not help without good strategy. What is imran’s strategy for economy and education? Why not make salman ahmed and junaid jamsheed as other leaders? Imran may be better then nawaz or benezir but it does not imply he is the MAN. C.J of Pakistan is the only guy who has audacity to stood against pak establishment.
Although feeling of doing somethyng for Pakistan was dug deep in the heart of Pakistani’s, Imran Khan gives a glimmer of hope, rekindles the spirit burried in the hearts and no one focuse abt his personal life. They’re not interested in Imran Khan, his playboy status, or anythyng. They’re interested in following a man who is trustworthy and can make a turn around for the nation, be it Imran Khan, be it M.A.Jinnah, be it nelson mandela!!
Fortunately the man we have trusted is Imran Khan :))
go Imran go
@ about imran personal life
TRust me he is no match for shaikh rasheed as far as being a playboy goes ;)
If that Jew believed in Tawheed (MONOTHEISM) then Islam allows us marry such ehl-e-kitab (Jews and christians). You can not object of something permitted by Islam so Shhhhh everyone.
I guess one has to make some sacrifices to become IMRAN KHAN. like not being able to enjoy the comfort of a traditional family lives like rest of us. HE could make that work and leave this nation as leaderless as ever.
His actions may contradict his words due to lack of experience in the field of politics or due to his uncontrollable conviction, human weaknesses.. but certainly not due to hypocricy (munafiqat). We shouldnt expect a Prophetic behaviour from a political leader.
Pakistan is indeed in need of an education and media revolution. On the media front, the private channels are doing a good job. However, there is also a dire need for local radio and TV stations holding open discussions and talk shows on local issues relating to governance and development. Without that, the media revolution can not go far enough.
Moreover, the notion of free and fair elections also needs to be discussed seriously and more broadly rather than just limiting it to Musharraf’s uniform. For a start, every candidate should have a reasonable opportunity to present himself to the people. For that, local radio/TV stations need to be used to conduct live debates between the candidates in every constituency so that the voters can hear what they have to say. In the absence of such debates in the electronic media, the powerful and rich elites get an edge, thus defeating the notion of fairness.
I would request everyone to at least raise their voices on this issue by writing articles, letters to the editor in various newspapers, TV talk show hosts, civil society organizations, and any political party they can contact.
Not to belittle the role of politicians like Imran, the man of the moment is CJP Iftikhar Chaudhry. His single act of defiance roused a sleeping nation. Judicial independence will be won by the efforts and the defiant spirit of the bar and the bench.
Next, neo-politicians like Imran Khan will secure larger presence in the parliament. Honestly I don’t think PTI will emerge as the single largest party. But even in a partnership with PMLN they’ll exert pressure on their partner to run affairs transparently.
@King Faisal
You have raised some good points & here is the answer:-
Imran Khan did not support Mush in 2000. He supported his 7 point agenda. There is a difference between you supporting a personality & you supporting his views. Supporting a personality means you consider the personality ABC’s views as right no matter what he says. Supporting views mean you support a personality ABC because of the views. The day the personality ABC become disloyal to his previously stated views, you have the due right to distance yourself from him.
And that’s what Imran Khan did. He supported Musharraf because of his 7 point agenda. Because Musharraf failed on all of them, Imran now says he is against Mush. And also in his BBC HARD TALK interview he called his previous support as a mistake. I guess that’s enough a reply on this.
Secondly you compared Imran with Jinnah & ZAB. What you forgot to mention is the fact that Jinnah & ZAB were not alone. Jinnah had the vision of people like Iqbal, Maulana Johar & other great ML leaders. He joined a party & gave it energy. The party had already a vision by the great Sir Syed & Later Iqbal. Jinnah worked under such great names as his help. ZAB had the support of the establishment & later on the feudal group. He had many similar supporting bricks.
Imran has started a party from zero & has gone against probably everyone in his game. All the establishment has become his enemy & considering all this isn’t it big deal that he was able to manage this much. You cannot run a local Nazim Election if the local establishment is against you, what to talk of forming a political party. So considering these 36 years is nothing in Imran’s case. And when did IMRAN said or showed as if he wanted to be a PM. His only motive is to win an objective, whoever be the PM or in gov. That is the rule of law & justice. His other priority being health and education. In all his interviews he seems to be the only clear man in vision & view. All others jump from one to other statement
Yes indeed he won’t likely be successful; given the system we have but don’t look at what he could not achieve. Look from where he started & appreciate him came this long. May be after 50 years you see his party wining a good portion of seats. And if he can keep his party away from ARMY, FEUDAL & CORRUPT people we may see a hope of change.
Rate him from where he started and on which pitch. A pitch which is as dirty as one can imagine.
You mentioned his personal life. First of all, is that the only point which his opponents have to say something on? The answer is indeed yes. But firstly we suppose for the sake of argument that he had done something really wrong. Considering this parameter, none, including Musharraf should be able to be in power. Why don’t you discuss the alcohol drink brand Mush likes?
Your statement “imran khan’s yateem status in pakistani politics is a testament to political acumen of pakistani awam which is smart enough to see through hypocrisy of a man especially one who lectures on morality and yet cannot acknowledge the existence of his own daughter� is indeed strange.
PPP which calls itself liberal has never done any good to moderation or liberalism. MMA never served ISLAM but instead done opposite. PML is ISI child fed by feudal & chaudhries of Punjab who will send their songs to Harvard but will keep their own people like animals in villages. MQM is a party pleading with one hand & a gun in other hand, kind of same in line with MMA, an extremist outfit. So where would you stand now if you make hypocrisy a barometer. Is it not that he is the least of hypocrite then?, again giving you benefit of doubt & supposing he is.
Does he not sound like much more patriotic Pakistani when he talks, wears acts & speaks? Living all his life with gora’s he still has the courage to criticize them & specially the “gora sahib� mentality. And look at our other leaders. All enjoy luxuries in London or Paris etc. Was it difficult for Imran to live a luxurious life & enjoy especially from the background he came from? You have to give the credit to the man where its due brother.
Also assume that he is at wrong in Sita white case. Does that mean all doors be closed on him for any purpose as if a default pre-requisite for a politician is being an angel first, that too in Pakistan? I mean for how long his opponents can drag his personal life issue.
Also these parties have always been selected by the same awaam you referred to sarcastically, so what about those? Imran in politics & you hit the awaam but the same awaam elects parties like PPP, PML, MMA, MQM & that’s fine with you? What logic is this?
Enough said
PEACE
Faraz, I concur with you on the core issue facing Pakistan. You’ve rightly said that Pakistan needs a revolution in the fields of education, media and I’d add first and foremost, judiciary.
Such a change can only come once you have “political outsiders” leading the nation. I consider Imran Khan to be a political outsider i.e. he is not a feudal, nor a corrupt industrialist, nor the son of a general or the scion of a political family.
Expecting a change in status quo from a military dictator is too naive.
I think we should give imran a chance to govern the country.The ression is whatever he said he did(e.g hospital,world cup & case against killer alttaf).we tried ppp.pml.mma&army.if we lose this chance we never get on trek.every country in this world is thinking about themselves & this is our responsibility to think our country.