Imran khan has finally made it at the hustings. His political struggle has been uphill, arduous and protracted. As a consequence of the July 25 general elections, he has achieved an impressive success in the face of stiff opposition. Now, Khan appears to be successfully, yet precariously, cobbling a government in the centre, Punjab and Khyber Pukhtunkhwa (KP), while entering into a coalition government in Balochistan and maintaining a spectacular presence in Karachi.
Khan has wisely discarded concerns of those crying hoarse that there has been foul play and rigging in elections, by stating that he would have no objection to investigation of alleged rigging. His timely and intelligent statement has diffused the agitational ballon of the opposition. Maulana Fazlur Rahman has been constrained to call off the boycott of the elections. All parties have agreed to take the oath.
In his maiden post election speech to the nation, Khan has impressed all and sundry. His unassuming disposition and demeanor has indeed endeared him to the masses. He needs no introduction for he has been a celebrity since donkey years. He is one leader whose credentials have been established before he arrived on the scene in the real sense. His contribution in the realm of welfare have been enormous. Shaukat Khanum and Namal University are no mean achievements. By refusing to reside in the premier’s house, and announcing to convert chief ministers and governors’ houses into educational institutions, he has emphatically clarified his intentions to lead by example, and to lead from the front. Khan’s political and administrative agenda, enunciated in the speech, is indeed difficult to attain, especially in an environment where everything is soaked in corruption, but then his track record demonstrates that he is not likely to give in easily. He would fight it out to the last ball. It would be a herculean task to sort out the mess existing on the national scene. There is enormous wealth which has been siphoned off by Pakistanis in foreign countries, which needs to be brought back. Khan enjoys enormous goodwill with the overseas Pakistanis, so will he be able to make them cough out some money for back home? Money would also be required for constructing new dams, since there has been no addition to the country’s water reservoirs post the Ayub era.
Khan’s constraints are enormous, his party lacks adequate representation in the Senate, is confronted with an extremely large and hostile opposition, there is no money in the kitty, and above all, he will be cordoned by an enormously corrupt mafia, which has been entrenched in the system for a protracted length of time. But at the external front, Khan’s central and cardinal strength is his ex-wife Jemima Goldsmith, whose services can be used to carve out a linkage between the prospective government and the West. Khan’s other forte is his immense popularity amongst the elite in India and the general masses, because of his cricketing background, unlike Nawaz Sharif, he has zero business interests in India. If Khan can initiate a really meaning dialogue with India, it will not be a small achievement.
The public is generally pleased with the result of elections, they were aspiring for change which must come about, otherwise there will be nothing but ripples of skepticism since expectations of the masses would be dashed to ground.
It remains to be seen how Imran Khan and his team perform on the ground. A lot will depend upon the kind of team he chooses to lead the country. In view of the enormity of expectations, any shortcoming in governance will not easily be forgiven. The opposition would take full advantage of any follies committed by Imran Khan and his team. He has to be perpetually on guard and would be severely scrutinised for any lapse and mistakes, specially vis-à-vis matters of corruption and nepotism.
Published in Daily Times, August 2nd 2018.