Daily Times

Imran Khan, right from the beginning of the dharna (sit-in) movement, has been thriving on his surprising and constantly changing strategies. He has transmitted serious jolts to his political opponents and has been successful in gaining a reasonably high level of popularity. Imran always appeared to be, and I am sure he is, a very straightforward man, which is why political gurus do not rate him as an ace politician in Pakistan’s political perspective. However, with the sudden twists and turns in his policies and extra use of the element of surprise, Imran Khan has emerged as a potentially successful politician in Pakistan.

Just like many other Pakistanis I have always been an admirer of Imran Khan as a sportsman and as the architect of the Shaukat Khanum cancer hospital project. During the dharna, where Imran Khan repeatedly shared his life experiences, all of us came to know him much more than before. I saw a sportsman, a bowler and a fighter who could win over his opponent using different strategies and a display of extraordinary energy. However, all of a sudden, the entire edifice of Khan’s protest politics came to a complete halt when he announced to call it a day for the dharna in the wake of the violence in the Army Public School in Peshawar. Khan’s withdrawal was not only appreciated by the citizens of Pakistan but also by Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif who had been at the receiving end of threats and rebukes for the past few months. It was really nice to see that Pakistani politicians, regardless of their political differences, do not lack the empathy to unite for a national cause.

The killing of innocent children has pushed open a new chapter of domestic terrorism. The focus of the entire country has now shifted from the question of the legitimacy of Nawaz Sharif’s government to the solution of the nationwide terrorism threat. Mian Nawaz Sharif has been confronted with unprecedented and extraordinary circumstances in his third tenure of premiership. Many pro-Nawaz individuals are considering the collapse of Khan’s dharna as a victory for Nawaz Sharif but those who understand Nawaz Sharif can appreciate the fact that he is more burdened with the huge responsibility of fighting and winning the war against terrorism. Nawaz Sharif’s commitment has to be appreciated in the light of the fact the he himself and his family members have received personal threats from the terrorists.

Professors of politics, Khan and Qadri, have taught many new lessons to Nawaz Sharif and the wise men of Pakistan’s politics view him as much stronger and more confident than before. Parliament, instead of dissolving, has automatically gained more strength as a result of the latest constitutional amendment. In the present security situation, Imran Khan is better off by making a strategic withdrawal from the dharna because, besides the tragic environment in the country, the sit-in crowd could have been a comfortable target for the terror perpetrators.

Imran’s mystery-policy was not limited to politics; it has now extended to the matrimonial front as well. Imran has very successfully mystified the people regarding the selection of his spouse. It appears that, at the moment, lady luck is not with Khan; Imran’s marriage is raising more and more controversies than he expected. The media is debating whether Khan’s second wife is a honey-trap to clip Khan’s wings. However, there is no concrete evidence to support this claim. One thing is very clear: Khan’s second wife is opposite to the conservative thoughts, dipped in the teachings of the Quran and philosophical poetry of Iqbal, preached by Imran during his dharna speeches. Admirers of Imran Khan are still perplexed over his choice of the potential first lady of new Pakistan, as envisaged by him. I have come across several PTI supporters who, in nervousness, ask how Imran will, as a PM, defend the liberal past of his better half. The answer is very simple: Khan will fight on that front as well because, perhaps, he is one of those individuals who like to create challenges and then go out to fight them. However, I am personally against the negative criticism against Reham Khan because, as an English saying goes, the past is like a foreign country. People do things differently over there, therefore it would be fair to give her a chance to assimilate in this culture and prove that she has changed.

Once, during my college days, I interacted with a professional gambler in New York who claimed to be successful in this business. He told me, sharing the reasons for his success, that he gambles with a lot of restraint and self-control. He told me that he always goes with his intuition and never ignores divine signs. The moment he feels that the chips are down and the wind is blowing against him he immediately withdraws and patiently waits for the right time, instead of incurring more losses. Imran’s struggle also involves a lot of risk and is no less than a gamble. I have connected Khan’s repeated anti-government political efforts with the wisdom of the gambler I once met.

Khan has a bright political future; he is rich in a variety of abilities and does not lack popularity. However, in his current struggle, perhaps he is ignoring the divine signals. He could never have imagined that something like the Peshawar school massacre would happen and force him to wrap up his sit-in. This happened when Khan’s movement was at its peak. Whatever Imran Khan has done so far, somehow, has directly or indirectly benefited Nawaz Sharif. He is now leading the war against terror and implementing his strategies along with full support and recognition from world leaders with everything going in his favour. The PTI, though popular, still needs a tremendous amount of organisation and improvement to become an effective political party. If Imran Khan takes the advice of the gambler from New York and reads the divine signs, as the wind is blowing against him, I am sure he will decide to take a deep breath and conserve his energies for the appropriate time to help the nation benefit from his vision and leadership.

The author is a Director PID