If we look at the historical context, many prominent aspects of Imran Khan’s personality stand out. Khan Sahib is a fighter who does not accept failure. That is why despite his defeat in previous elections, he did not discontinue his struggle. He was personally ridiculed in the past and his political party was taunted and called the “Tanga Party.” Despite all these challenges, Imran Khan continued his struggle and never lost hope. Many thought that after all this time, Khan Sahib would not be able to run a full electoral campaign, but 2018 proved that age is not a barrier for Khan Sahib. One aspect of Khan Sahib’s personality is that he cannot be associated with corruption. Despite their utmost efforts, his opponents could not bring any proof of Khan’s corruption. Even despite staying in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa(KP) government for five years, there is not a personally, a single accusation levied against him for corruption. What makes a person like him impervious to corruption?
In a country like Pakistan, where the tradition of joint family livingexists, children live with their parents. All of their expenses are borne by their parents. Even after getting married, they will continue to stay with their parents. In such a society, children are considered a future insurance policy by their parents. This is why parents freely spend on their children and sometimes, for the sake of their children, they get involved in corruption or unlawful acts. The story of Khan Sahib is different in this context. Khan Sahib’s children are in the United Kingdom (UK) being cared for by his former wife. His children’s mother is one of the richest women in the UK so Khan Sahib has no financial worries for his kids.
Imran Khan’s personality is dynamic as he can easily adapt to various situations; hence he now holds the most important office in the land. For example, he once used to have a strong stance against the deep state. Various video clips bear witness to this. Then time passed and, keeping in ground realities in sight, Khan Sahib changed the direction of his politics. For the past several years, his relations with the establishment have improved and he has emerged as a strong option for the establishment.
In light of Pakistan’s current conditions, Imran Khan’s personality is quite suitable. Pakistan is facing a significant financial crisis. Foreign exchange reserves have decreased and debt has increased. There are no funds in the treasury to run the country
On a similar line, if we look at Imran’s personality, he has basically had a liberal life. Even today, if we analyze him as a person, he by no means looks like a conservative. His lifestyle and manner of dress are not conservative either. And yet Khan Sahib has improved his relations with religious groups. Due to the better relationship he has with these religious groups, he carried out acampaign that was free of fear in 2013 and again in 2018.While the other political parties were facing immense threats, Khan Sahib’s candidates were openly running their election campaigns. The same situation was witnessed in this election as well.
In the past, Khan Sahib maintained a harsh stance against the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and its former leader but soon realized that if he wanted to be a politician in Karachi, he should not lock horns with the MQM. He has softened his stance over time. He successfully carried out a full-fledged campaign in Karachi and today Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has become a major party in Karachi.
In the recent elections, he made another key change. He realized that he could not come into power without the electables. Thus, he opened his doors to the independent candidates and managed to gain more seats.
The question still remains why was Imran Khan needed in the current Pakistani context? In light of Pakistan’s current conditions, Imran Khan’s personality is quite suitable. Pakistan is facing a significant financial crisis. Foreign exchange reserves have decreased and debt has increased. There are no funds in the treasury to run the country. In the near future there will be no funds available to purchase oil- this will result in continuous electricity crisis in a country riddled with energy dilemmas.
So,in this scenario, how is Imran Khan suitable? First of all, if we have to run the country, Pakistan’s treasury will need to have funds and the taxes will also need to increase. It is also true that people trust Imran Khan more on financial matters. Shaukat Khanum Hospital is an excellent example where people freely gave charity funds. The Pakistani economy can benefit from this public confidence. This could mean that in the coming days, Imran Khan will be seen raising funds from the Pakistani public. This is will be done by imposing new taxes and widening the tax range. However, he will also guarantee their proper utilization. So, people will be more willing to pay taxes to him as compared to other leaders.
Imran Khan is also more popular amongst Pakistanis abroad. If a similar call is given to expatriates, it is possible that they will be more inclined to invest more in Imran Khan than in other political leaders. Chaudhry Sarwar is the biggest example of this. He used the Pakistan Muslim League-N to enter Pakistani politics and then became loyal to Imran Khan. There are other similar foreign-based personalities who have become loyal to Imran Khan and express full confidence in him.If in the coming days, Imran Khan can succeed in giving them a guarantee that their investments in Pakistan will be protected from corruption, it is quite possible that a large number of overseas Pakistanis may remit their funds to Pakistan. This will have a positive impact on the country’s economy.
Pakistan is becoming isolated at international diplomatic levels. Pakistan needed the kind of person who could make an address in foreign countries without reading from a piece of paper, whose speech is better articulated. Keeping in mind the changing relations between the United States and other countries of the region, there was a need for such a leader.
Another quality of Khan Sahib is that he holds and carries two different and rather conflicting perspectives together at the same time. It is said that if you want to judge someone, look at their choices and the most important choice in life is choosingone’s life partner. Imran Khan has had three life partners, each of whom has had extremely different personalities and backgrounds. Such a personality, which possesses different aspects and blends with diverse ideologies, is crucial for Pakistan. Where there is a democracy and also the reality of a powerful establishment. If Khan Sahib maintains these qualities, then he can under take his political journey successfully.
The writer hosts a current affairs talk show on PTV News. Follow him on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/syedzishanhyder
Published in Daily Times, August 22nd 2018.