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.
@King Faisal
I guess i, for the sake of argument already assumed that whatever you say about his personal life is true.
My interest was his public life. Yes indeed if he starts preaching us morals , then i shall be the first one with you to remind him of his past. But my comparison was his score from 100 ( considering top ten requirements) VS any others score from 100.
In that if you have 10 points for morality, he surely gets a ZERO, suppose. But dont you think he will win most of the rest of 90?
That was the whole point. Yes he needs to keep himself away from this extremist “tolla”, who are just another opportunist, the only difference being they LOVE to get the seat on RELIGIOUS ground. I consider Sheikh Rashid better then MMA (if you keep his morals aside for time being ) reason being he does constituency politics & does it best than any, though from inside he is no different than TALIBAN, again showing a Hippocratic nature of our politicians. Bring him on topics against INDIA & see how high he goes to boast about ISLAM, PAKISTAN and all that.
@king_faisal:
there are numerous examples in history where not-so perfect men changed, it just takes an event to change a man completely. Look at the Islamic history, the mushrikeen, who turned away from their sins and followed Mohammad PBUH and made sacrifices.
Imran does not deny he had a sinful life, but he has changed and has already made many sacrifices. Besides, the definition of a sin is subjective to one’s own interpretation when it comes to personal life, him being a playboy at that time was not a sin for him then, and it didnt hurt anyone. Yes Sita White is a dark spot but u very well know the population of similar dark spots in the west. its a normal thing there, Sita White is not the first girl without a father. Besides, the Sita White ruling was based on circumstantial evidence at that time when he was claimed to be the father by the jury. Only DNA tests are definitive. that never took place.
Since u brought up Islamic Morality, where is the morality of Muslims who tease a man based on his past sins?
as on the Nawaz Sharif case u pointed, i think its better to read MB’s comment above again. Imran is not an ally of Nawaz but an ally of opposition. Not just Nawaz, b4 03/09 he was working to unite the opposition to boycott elections. Now if other parties have their own opportunistic agendas in this crisis and are roaming here and there, its really strange to say Imran is supporting Nawaz who is the only opposition leader (besides MMA) who is standing against Musharraf, prob. because Nawaz sees no chance of any opportunity himself. Frankly speaking, I dont understand PPP at the moment mainly due to the different perception I have about BB and AH on this issue.
As for the economy, u better be joking right. its like saying that because afridi’s strike rate is so high, he is the best batsman out there. The stock market is a sham, the whole world was losing business after 09/11, KSE was rising, strange? yes, because its a speculative system. Few businessmen and certain banks decide the index, which has never been an indicator of an economy. Secondly, check this new video, where the expert points out that why it ’seems’ that our economy has improved which he credits to post 09/11 money monitoring activities which forced people to use the legal channels. Secondly, foreign investment in Pakistan is not in the manufacturing industry. In the service industry due to super excellent investment plans by the government, a company can carry out a project in pakistan even on trial basis without losing much. If situations worsens tomorrow, most of them will pack up and go without much cost. Thirdly, government claims that consuming buying power has increased, but thats due to consumer banking which i find devilish to say the least. Poeple are now under loans and due to exceptionally high interest rates, banks r getting richer. this wealth is not distributed anywhere which would be termed ’sustainable’. Besides, in this video, the expert also points out that there is no investment in the power and energy sector. The service industry foreign investments are just eying to sell their goods to the masses.
Why did the Saudis, the Chinese left the deals for our power companies? Because it takes a long time before they get any return which no one right now is willing to risk in this not so stable Pakistan besides the corruption.
Ask the poor man what economy has given him….
Yeh hai Pakistan
Jahan Gaon Gaon Mobile Hai,
Peenay Ka Paani Nahi
Yeh hai Pakistan,
Jahan Gaon Gaon internet hai,
lekin ghar main bijli nahi
Yeh hai Pakistan
Jahan Gaon Gaon motorcycle hai,
lekin sehet aur hasptaal nahi
Yeh hai Pakistan
jahan dekhnay ko to sab kuch hai,
lekin karch kernay ka apna paisa nahi
Of course, only time can tell if Imran is real or not, but my question is, have we not tested the rest of our “leaders” already? have we not experienced thier cronyism over competence rule? how many more chances that we need to give to these leaders, including the military? So what if Imran “may’ not be what he claims to be, but against whom? what are we afraid of? What choices do we have? Benazir, Nawaz, etc., and the rest of same old jugglers? we even have a jigolo in the PM house, per Condi Rice.
To those who are “worried” and “concerned”, I say, please don’t. But just don’t have too much expectation. Of course, only time can tell!
Tariq
Minneapolis, MN
USA
Imran Khan OR Shimran Kahn
Hey folks - one thing is clear Immy would never ever have crept out of his political anonymity had it not been the knee jerk reaction of the hawks in MQM. MQM has shot itself in the foot by taking on this Idiot and given a boost to his ratings.
Immy to me is just another opportunist and would be no different from any other wannabe, shyster or charlatan. His best credential is his claim as national sports hero NO MORE NO LESS.
Shaukat Khanum - good but not good enuf. There are many more who have done 100 times bigger no profit projects but dont like publicity - unlike IMMY.
Also Shaukat Khanum doe not give him any political charter buty it seems that he is cashing in on Shaukat Khanum and gaining political mileage.
IMMY is the epitome of hypocrisy ands opportunism like many other pakistani politicians
SO MY ADVISE TO PEOPLE– PLS DO NOT GET SWAYED BY HIS CHARM AND GET DUPED AGAIN- U WILL BE DOUBLE DISAPPOINTED
MY ADVISE TO SHIMRAN KAHN: COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS, BE THANKFUL TO MQM FOR GIVING U ALL THIS FREE PUBLICITY AND MAYBE EVEN A SEAT THIS TIME WITHOUT ANY ADJUSTMENTS OR HELP FROM HIDDDEN HANDS
PAKIAVELLI
Imran Khan OR Shimran Kahn
Hey folks - one thing is clear Immy would never ever have crept out of his political anonymity had it not been the knee jerk reaction of the hawks in MQM. MQM has shot itself in the foot by taking on this Idiot and given a boost to his ratings.
Immy to me is just another opportunist and would be no different from any other wannabe, shyster or charlatan. His best credential is his claim as national sports hero NO MORE NO LESS.
Shaukat Khanum - good but not good enuf. There are many more who have done 100 times bigger no profit projects but dont like publicity - unlike IMMY.
Also Shaukat Khanum doe not give him any political charter buty it seems that he is cashing in on Shaukat Khanum and gaining political mileage.
IMMY is the epitome of hypocrisy ands opportunism like many other pakistani politicians
SO MY ADVISE TO PEOPLE– PLS DO NOT GET SWAYED BY HIS CHARM AND GET DUPED AGAIN- U WILL BE DOUBLE DISAPPOINTED
MY ADVISE TO SHIMRAN KAHN: COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS, BE THANKFUL TO MQM FOR GIVING U ALL THIS FREE PUBLICITY AND MAYBE EVEN A SEAT THIS TIME WITHOUT ANY ADJUSTMENTS OR HELP FROM HIDDDEN HANDS
I have to say I agree with Faraz, Mustafa and Skeptic more than the others. Imran Khan has his plus points and has a number of weaknesses as well. Yes, he was a great cricketer, spearheaded a cancer hospital, is bold enough to take on Altaf–all that is great. But weigh that against his voting record–voted for Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman for the PM slot instead of Jamali, abstained from voting for repeal of the Hudood Ordinance (which ironically upheld an adultery law), furthermore, mocked its repeal openly on tv shows, and then the whole thing with Sita White is undeniably a big negative. Perhaps one could have more respect for him if he acknowledged the mistake instead of refusing to talk about it–there is also the schizophrenic issue—denying it in Pakistan but posing for Hello with Tyrian; criticizing Pakistani elites and their ways but happily rubbing shoulders with Liz Hurley, Diana, Jemima and the like–just a bit too much baggage there for me.
Having said all of that, I still think he can and does contribute to Pakistan but probably will not make a good PM. He can perhaps take on a portfolio that would make use of his single-minded and simplistic qualities–Interior Minister perhaps or something of that nature–definitely not something that involves diplomacy or level-headedness, like PM or Foreign Minister.
put yourself in the position of imran khan’s daughter. imagine how you would you feel if your own father refused to publicly acknowledge your existence much less do your pervarish when your mother died?
imran khan’s indiscretions in his private life dont preclude him from running for public office. however its only natural that some voters will judge him by how his private conduct stacks up against his posturings in the public arena. imran khan started his political career by speaking a great deal about the superiority of islamic morality system. i am no expert on islamic theology but as far as i know, islam does not condone ignoring your own child. my stance on this issue is that men not willing to deal with the consequence of their own behaviour are losers be it young black men living in ghetto america or playboy star athletes hobnobbing with the jet set. dont do the crime if you are not willing to serve the time is a good motto in my opinion. i would have nothing but respect for imran khan if he acknowledged his past and dealt with the consequence like a man.
i would also not be speaking about imran khan’s private life if he had not made private morality a public issue. moreover throughout his political career, imran has actively sided with religious right whose core platform is regulation of our private life best example of this policy being the hisba bill. no better example than the hypocrisy of imran khan than his demand that his private life is own business despite the fact that all through his political career he has shared a podium with religious right. sort of like cheney speaking against gay rights while attending the christianing ceremony of his grand child born to his lesbian daughter.
imran’s hypocrisy is also seen by his recent alliance with nawaz sharif. imran accuses musharraf of being an american stooge for siding with the americans after 9/11. nawaz sharif in comparison supported the first iraq war eventhough saddam did not kill a single american. imran says musharraf, by filing a reference against supreme court judge, is damaging the judiciary. nawaz in comparison sent his goons to the supreme court to get rid of the chief justice. imran says musharraf is damaging the press. nawaz sharif shut down jang longer than musharraf closed geo. nawaz shareef banned imran khan from tv while under musharraf, imran khan is on tv 24×7. under nawaz, pakistan economy went into selective default. under musharraf, pakistan has $15bn of foreign reserves and has attracted this year $6bn in foreign investment.
i could go on and on but would be waste of time because imran’s career wont amount to anything more than a hill of beans.
We should all support Imran Khan.