Daily Times

One can rate Imran Khan’s speech as one of the many historical speeches we Pakistanis have heard. He touched upon every issue that is worth shedding light on. These issues ranged from domestic fissures to international conundrums, which we as a nation are being confronted with. Through his victory speech,Imran Khan ensured that he’s capable of dealing with these challenges.

What makes his speech stand out is his friendly message to his political opponents, that he will not carry forward the tradition of political victimisation during his tenure. This message provided a sigh of relief to his political opponents who were expecting him to come down hard on them.

That being said, Imran Khan’s message of maintaining cordial relationship with neighbouring countries is greatly welcomed internationally. As he was earlier wrongly portrayed by international media, especially the Indian media. But Imran Khan diluted that negative impression of himself by delivering a statesman-like victory speech.

In any case, the prime-minister-in-making also highlighted his future strategy to counter domestic issues. He promised to enlarge the tax net by bringing the immune lot under the tax net. That will be a real boast. He also pledged to spend taxpayer money on the general public. If he succeeds in doing so, it will make him the real hero.

Pakistan is economically in hot waters, for its foreign reserves are touching rock bottom. Our current account deficit is at a record high of around $18 billion. How Imran Khan will overcome this economic conundrum will decide his political future. As it will need massive reforms to stabilise the economy.

In addition, our commitment with FATF on curbing the flow of finances to banned groups is also on the list. The conditions on which the interim setup has agreed with FATF are the toughest. The new government would face immense difficulties in fulfilling those conditions.

And if it fails in meeting its commitment with FATF then Pakistan will be placed on the black list. Such an unfortunate situation would unleash a spree of economic sanctions on Pakistan.

What makes his speech stand out is his friendly message to his political opponents, that he will not carry forward the tradition of political victimisation during his tenure. This message provided a sigh of relief to his political opponents who were expecting him to come down hard on them

On top of this, at home there are several daunting social issues like the water crisis, unemployment , missing persons and more. In truth, only Imran Khan can alleviate these woes by benignly dealing with them and lending an ear to the peoples’ grievances. Here is his test; is he really is a national hero, or will his action just be limited to Punjab.

He has to come up with a comprehensive development plan to bring underprivileged areas into the orbit.

Last but not least, the complaints of political parties pertaining to the recently concluded elections should be addressed. The incoming prime minister need to adjust his political opponents. As once he also complained about it back in 2013. Ergo now he can rightly feel their worries. This will surely assist Imran Khan in avoiding chaotic situation in the country.

In the end, Imran Khan’s victory speech has given hope to the people of this country. His speech has even compelled his arch-rivals to admire him. We hope that Imran Khan fulfils each and every promise which he made to the people of this country, so that we can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with other countries in terms of progress, innovation and development.

The writer can be contacted at asifmahsud44@yahoo.com

Published in Daily Times, August 5^th 2018.