Even before Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has assumed office, its pristine, untried reputation has been tainted with a tea stain. It turns out that the PTI candidate, Gul Zafar Khan who won a National Assembly seat from NA-41Bajaur, and who championed his humble background, is a closeted millionaire. While his campaign focused on the contrast between his occupation as a tea vendor, and the powerful feudal elites who opposed him, the documents he submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) indicate that he owns assets worth Rs 30 million. After his asset declaration became public, Gul Zafar Khan claimed that he belongs to a land owning family that had disowned him; thereby forcing Gul Zafar Khan to start a career as a chaiwala in Karachi. Many across the country are hesitant to accept why his story has changed so radically from the time of his campaign to the present when facts about his wealth have become public. In the broader context, cracks have started to appear in the anti-corruption, pro-transparency rhetoric that the PTI has employed to gain nationwide support especially in the urban middle classes. The tables have turned as the opposition is now complaining of “rigging” while the PTI is hesitant for recounting on certain seats such as NA 131 that Imran Khan won with a narrow margin. Khan who harshly criticized the Pakistan Muslim League — Nawaz (PML-N) in 2013 for courting independent candidates, has in 2018 set Jehangir Tareen and Aleem Khan on wooing independents at all costs. Moreover, his renouncement of living in the Prime Minister house, while commendable, follows the tracks of many before him, who were talked out of it due to its logistical unfeasibility. While those who were rooting against PTI are gleeful over these latest developments, those who were hoping for ‘change’ cannot help feel a bit worried. Read more: Victory of PTI While it is too early to be cynical, the last thing the public wishes for, is new faces in power continuing old governance patterns. There is also a larger issue at hand: is real change possible given our corrupt political system that makes elections the preserve of the rich and the influential? This is why the chaiwala story is a bit disturbing for it misled the electorate and exposed how easy is it to get away with half-truths, or worse lies, in the political arena. * Published in Daily Times, August 13th 2018.