I am sure many of ATP readers will be surprised to see this photograph in which former President Musharraf is saluting his most vocal critic Imran Khan.
Before you jump onto conclusions, let me tell you that this photograph is said to be taken during a fund raising event doe the Shaukat Khannum Memorial Hospital sometime in 2000-01. It was the time when Imran Khan’s PTI supported Musharraf and he was a reportedly hot favorite candidate for Prime Ministership.
Do you think the photograph is real? Imran Khan actually mentioned this one in many of his speeches in US recently. Watch the part of his speech after 4 minutes and 50 seconds in a video here. And if it is, what does it tell us about Gen. Musharraf. Or about Imran Khan.
Nice picture.
A salute from a Patriotic paki, to a person who has done great service for his country; Pakistan.
Picture of Good days.
I wouldn’t go that far Umar. Don’t want to pass judgment on Naz and Mehreen, my question notwithstanding. Besides, I too am a huge supporter of the lawyers’ movement and feel that the beauty of it was that it was able to rally behind it Pakistanis of all different persuasions–precisely what Imran cannot or has not been able to do.
I would have loved to see the PPP reinstate the CJ and undo the illicit actions of Nov 2 but by not doing that, they not only let down a lot of their own supporters, but also the left in general, allowing the forces of the right to claim the moral high ground, and perhaps subsequently, as you put it, “highjack the movement”.
For this, I am sorely disappointed with the PPP but not enough to support those forces who see women as second class citizens or support jirgas as the best way to mete out justice (as Imran has done in the past)–but then again, isn’t this also what the PPP is doing now by appointing the likes of Zehri and Bajarani?
I agree with you that “radical change” is not the best thing to strive for because “radical” in what direction? But change we do need–in my view, the best way to bring it about is by trying to reform the existing parties, and more people joining them and making their voices heard instead of trying to reinvent the wheel.
This photo makes me sad. It would have been a dream team for Pakistan. Pre 2002 Musharraf as President and Imran Khan Foreign Minister could have been so beneficial for Pakistanis.
Btw, interesting conversation going on here. Some of the comments reminds me khwaja ka gawaa daddu. lol
Keep it up guys.
I agree Ayesha… these two ladies are an example of the “civil society” types who rally to the banner of Imran Khan, and to the lawyers’ movement which has been hijacked by the JI and the PML-N… notice their use of “radical” in both their posts… with Imran at the helm, we will have a radical change for sure… a radical shift to the far right…
The sheer magnitude of corruption in Pakistani politics has rendered us vulnerable to anyone including Charlie’s Aunt who professes to be “honest”, their ideology notwithstanding… next door in Afghanistan, it is this same obsession with “honesty” that led a lot of the population to initially welcome the Taliban…
Better a thief with liberal tendencies, than an honest mullah lover of Imran Khan’s ilk, I would say… ruined economies can recover, but the young minds that Imran is ruining with his JI-lite views will never recover…
I’m disappointed at this post. This is an example of how ATP sometimes (VERY rarely) does a quality dip from NPR/PBS to FOX.
Anyone who reads this blog with any regularity would know that I am no fan of Musharraf, and am somewhat of a fan of Imran Khan. However, this picture is simply irrelevant to any serious discussion. I don’t think it is doctored; this is simply Musharraf’s style of saying hello (or ‘adaab’) to everyone.