It wasn't difficult for Imran Khan to win World Cup, but would he show the same acumen in Pak politics?

By Gautam Thaker*
Results of the general elections held in Pakistan were somewhat unexpected and surprising. Imran Khan and his party Pakistan Tehark-E-Insaaf (PTI) got victory with the highest number of seats. As against 137 seats for absolute majority, his party secured 115 seats.
Presumably, a number of independent party candidates, small and sundry parties, would lend their support to Imran Khan. During the elections for the posts of speaker and deputy speaker, his party proved majority by securing 176 votes. He is the new Vazir-e-Azam of Pakistan.
Over the last many months, Imran Khan had toured through the length and breadth of the country. Not a single town was left where he did not make his presence felt during various events and seminars. He remained in constant limelight in the social media. He received strong and active support of the youths, who for the first time cast their votes.
Looking at the support he has been elicit from the Pakistan army and the ISI, it was certain that his party would surely be victorious. He remained constantly active in politics of Pakistan for 22 years. He sought to project himself as the architect of Naya Pakistan by showing dreams to the youths similar to Narendra Modi’s New India.
It may not be out of place to say that the reins of power in Pakistan is with the trinity of army, ISI and terrorists. It is said that while it would be an Imran Khan government, the overall command of the country would vest in the hands of the army.
Because of this, following his victory, there is apprehension that India may suffer more harm than gain. Since Pakistan’s army is highly fanatic, it remains to be seen whether Imran Khan is cowed down and becomes its pawn. May experts believe, the tendency of intruding terrorists and breach of cease fire or disarmament across the border would increase.
It is obvious that, because of his failure to secure clear majority, Imran Khan would face difficulties in ruling the nation. He would have to bank on the support of other parties in framing laws. He would have to take steps or tread seriously and patiently in order to put in practice the promises and assurances given to the people of Pakistan during the course of election campaign. In the wake of deteriorated economic condition of Pakistan, he would have to see to it that issues such as unemployment, price rise etc. do not come to hound his regime.
During his election speeches, Imran Khan had said, he would make Pakistan as visualized by Mohammad Ali Jinnah. Let us hope that he would transform Pakistan to match the aspirations conceived by Jinnah in the year 1930 during the fight for freedom, waged during undivided India, before partition. It would be better if he minimizes the use of the army in his campaign Naya Pakistan campaign.
Imaran Khan joined politics after retiring from cricket. He is an economics and political science graduate from Oxford University. Thanks to his cricket background, he has remained popular among the people of Pakistan and is ruling in their minds and hearts. His cricket fans believe he would never let them down in politics. If he rises up to their expectations, it would be good for the image of Pakistan and could transform the country.
Doctors, engineers and respectable citizens are associated with his party, hence there is hope for a better future. Because of his impressive personality and eloquence, he has won the affection of the people of Pakistan. Just as Imran Khan had become popular in Pakistan’s cricket three decades ago, by courageously entering politics, he has emerged as an indispensable or inevitable leader of the people of the country.
It would be better if Imran Khan displays in world politics the ingenuity and talent that were demonstrated by four his contemporary best cricket all-rounders – Ian Botham (England), Richard Hedley (New Zealand), Kapil Dev (India) and Imaran Khan (Pakistan).
Always seen in the outfit of pant, shirt and suit while abroad, Imran Khan in Pathani dress appears committed to address the voice of the people of Pakistan. He has begun his second innings with bravery or virility. Presently he is the Dream Man of the people of Pakistan.
Two decades ago, for the first time, he had wished that peace should prevail among the neighbouring countries, and India and Pakistan should spend their resources on developmental works instead of on defence. If he goes ahead with that ideology, it may help transform the country for the better, and it would augur well for both the countries.
---
*General secretary, People’s Union for Civil Liberties, Gujarat. Contact: gthaker1946@gmail.com

Comments

Anonymous said…

British ruled our Nation for long by creating fear of British Police Raj. The uniform made the country uniform in size. When we parted, the major portion of the Army went to Pakistan as the western borders were guarded with strong army. A new nation with 9 crore population with big army, naturally falls into the hands of the army as the heavyweights won’t prefer democracy to command their position. Pak is still under the legacy of British Police Raj, therefore, no PM can be freed from the commands and directives of the Army. The new PM has to attend the social sectors, HDI of the country and the Army will command over the foreign affairs and borders.

It is difficult for the new PM to build his case for Kashmir issue against the Stronger India where the developed world is eying on the big market of India. Economic advantage overlooks sentimental issues. Who will prefer whom? For what? Better he work for the internal issues of welfare of the people then to indulge in fight with the Army of Pakistan.

August 21, 2018

Plastic burning in homes threatens food, water and air across Global South: Study

By Jag Jivan In a groundbreaking study spanning 26 countries across the Global South , researchers have uncovered the widespread and concerning practice of households burning plastic waste as a fuel for cooking, heating, and other domestic needs. The research, published in Nature Communications , reveals that this hazardous method of managing both waste and energy poverty is driven by systemic failures in municipal services and the unaffordability of clean alternatives, posing severe risks to human health and the environment.

Economic superpower’s social failure? Inequality, malnutrition and crisis of India's democracy

By Vikas Meshram India may be celebrated as one of the world’s fastest-growing economies, but a closer look at who benefits from that growth tells a starkly different story. The recently released World Inequality Report 2026 lays bare a country sharply divided by wealth, privilege and power. According to the report, nearly 65 percent of India’s total wealth is owned by the richest 10 percent of its population, while the bottom half of the country controls barely 6.4 percent. The top one percent—around 14 million people—holds more than 40 percent, the highest concentration since 1961. Meanwhile, the female labour force participation rate is a dismal 15.7 percent.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

The greatest threat to our food system: The aggressive push for GM crops

By Bharat Dogra Thanks to the courageous resistance of several leading scientists who continue to speak the truth despite increasing pressures from the powerful GM crop and GM food lobby , the many-sided and in some contexts irreversible environmental and health impacts of GM foods and crops, as well as the highly disruptive effects of this technology on farmers, are widely known today.

History, culture and literature of Fatehpur, UP, from where Maulana Hasrat Mohani hailed

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* Maulana Hasrat Mohani was a member of the Constituent Assembly and an extremely important leader of our freedom movement. Born in Unnao district of Uttar Pradesh, Hasrat Mohani's relationship with nearby district of Fatehpur is interesting and not explored much by biographers and historians. Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri has written a book on Maulana Hasrat Mohani and Fatehpur. The book is in Urdu. He has just come out with another important book, 'Hindi kee Pratham Rachna: Chandayan' authored by Mulla Daud Dalmai.' During my recent visit to Fatehpur town, I had an opportunity to meet Dr Mohammad Ismail Azad Fatehpuri and recorded a conversation with him on issues of history, culture and literature of Fatehpur. Sharing this conversation here with you. Kindly click this link. --- *Human rights defender. Facebook https://www.facebook.com/vbrawat , X @freetohumanity, Skype @vbrawat

Epic war against caste system is constitutional responsibility of elected government

Edited by well-known Gujarat Dalit rights leader Martin Macwan, the book, “Bhed-Bharat: An Account of Injustice and Atrocities on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-18)” (available in English and Gujarati*) is a selection of news articles on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-2018) published by Dalit Shakti Prakashan, Ahmedabad. Preface to the book, in which Macwan seeks to answer key questions on why the book is needed today: *** The thought of compiling a book on atrocities on Dalits and thus present an overall Indian picture had occurred to me a long time ago. Absence of such a comprehensive picture is a major reason for a weak social and political consciousness among Dalits as well as non-Dalits. But gradually the idea took a different form. I found that lay readers don’t understand numbers and don’t like to read well-researched articles. The best way to reach out to them was storytelling. As I started writing in Gujarati and sharing the idea of the book with my friends, it occurred to me that while...

Would breaking idols, burning books annihilate caste? Recalling a 1972 Dalit protest

By Rajiv Shah A few days ago, I received an email alert from a veteran human rights leader who has fought many battles in Gujarat for the Dalit cause — both through ground-level campaigns and courtroom struggles. The alert, sent in Gujarati by Valjibhai Patel, who heads the Council for Social Justice, stated: “In 1935, Babasaheb Ambedkar burnt the Manusmriti . In 1972, we broke the idol of Krishna , whom we regarded as the creator of the varna (caste) system.”

'Restructuring' Sahitya Akademi: Is the ‘Gujarat model’ reaching Delhi?

By Prakash N. Shah* A fortnight and a few days have slipped past that grim event. It was as if the wedding preparations were complete and the groom’s face was about to be unveiled behind the ceremonial tinsel. At 3 PM on December 18, a press conference was poised to announce the Sahitya Akademi Awards .

From colonial mercantilism to Hindutva: New book on the making of power in Gujarat

By Rajiv Shah Professor Ghanshyam Shah ’s latest book, “ Caste-Class Hegemony and State Power: A Study of Gujarat Politics ”, published by Routledge , is penned by one of Gujarat ’s most respected chroniclers, drawing on decades of fieldwork in the state. It seeks to dissect how caste and class factors overlap to perpetuate the hegemony of upper strata in an ostensibly democratic polity. The book probes the dominance of two main political parties in Gujarat—the Indian National Congress and the BJP—arguing that both have sustained capitalist growth while reinforcing Brahmanic hierarchies.

Search This Blog