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Yes we Khan
PTI is not a party of intellectual or political heavyweights. It’s a party of yes-men doing the bidding of Imran...
The writer lived for several years in Pakistan, working for various TV channels such as Geo and Aaj. He has now moved back to the UK and does freelance consultancy work
Would Imran Khan make a good prime minister for Pakistan? It’s a question that draws strong views from all sides of the Pakistani political spectrum. He’s a polarising candidate: you either love him or hate him. For many, the cricketing hero, turned social justice campaigner, induces paeans of passion. Others deride him as a Taliban stooge. However, there are a few of us still vacillating over his suitability as a leader.
He was in Britain this week, promoting his new book, Pakistan: A Personal History and gave an in-depth interview to The Guardian. The interview displayed all the best and worst of King Khan. On the negative side, we saw the egotism, stubbornness and political naivety. Yet, he also exhibited passion (and compassion for his countrymen), purpose and immense bravery. One suddenly realised what an immense toil this man’s decision to enter politics has had on his life. He has sacrificed his marriage, and thus access to his two boys, for the sake of his country. Life after cricket could have been an endless merry-go-round of endorsements, commentary and Chelsea homes. Lord knows he had earned it. That would have been the easy option. Instead, he chose “Kamran Khan kay sath,” Islamabad and the grubbiness of politics. For that he should earn our respect. He is clearly a decent, honourable and a good man, in a country lacking few genuine inspirational role models. Yet, I, like many, still find it hard to support him.
Firstly, let’s take the egotism. Imran Khan and the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) are interchangeable. Without the former, there is no latter. In the 15 years since its inception, he has failed to make the party anything other than a party for his political aspirations. So closely are the party and its leader aligned in the public image that the PTI may as well call itself the Imran Khan party. Unlike a Lincoln or an Obama, he has failed to reach across the aisle attracting real political talent. Could Imran open his arms to the Pakistani equivalent of Hillary Clinton or Robert Gates? (And I don’t count Shireen Mazari as talent.) This is not a party of intellectuals or political heavyweights. It’s a party of yes-men, doing the bidding of their chairman. This is not leadership. Instead, it demonstrates either a fatal inability to attract talented people, or insecurity in one’s own ability. How can he prevail in negotiations with fellow statesmen when he’s unable to attract people of serious calibre?
Flashes of the same egotism that he displayed after winning the World Cup — talking about himself rather than his team — were also present in The Guardian interview. Here he was discussing cutting deals with other parties: “The old parties are all petrified of me now. They all want to make alliances with me and I say: ‘No, I’m going to fight all of you together because you’re all the same.’” This is a serious problem for Khan. His pronouns need to change if he’s truly to inspire — more we and less me. For all his talk of being a radical outsider fighting a corrupt elite, he often comes across as just another strong man out to save Pakistan. A Bhutto or a Musharraf could have uttered that very same sentence. We need leaders who can develop teams, parties and institutions, not another man with a messiah complex.
Then there’s his political idealism, bordering on naivety. He wants to cut foreign aid, cut expenditure, tax the rich and fight corruption. All admirable goals, no doubt, but somewhat politically unrealistic — at least in the short-term. Withdrawing 20 billion of foreign aid overnight would be potentially calamitous for an economy already perilously close to bankruptcy. Improving Pakistan’s infamously low tax-to-GDP ratio above nine per cent will not be aided by a tanking economy. And how would his party achieve the goals of fighting corruption and taxing the rich without the money to invest in the necessary infrastructure?
On foreign affairs, he displays similar inexperience. He’s no Taliban supporter or stooge. That is clearly ridiculous. But he is woefully naïve when he claims he wants to withdraw from the war on terror. Fair enough, you may think. It’s unpopular and has cost Pakistan dearly in terms of lives and lost investment. But would retreat actually stop the killings in Pakistan? The Tehreek-i–Taliban and Lashkar-e-Taiba will not suddenly shut up shop once the PTI is in power and just because the US becomes persona non grata in Islamabad. Instead, Khan would be sending a dangerous message to such groups. Violence against your own people works. And when it came to promoting his own policies, such as regional peace with India, eliminating unchecked power to state agencies, or achieving 100 per cent immunisation for children against preventable diseases, could he count on the support of such regressive and militant organizations? That’s the problem with Khan. He lives in a Chomskyite fantasy world, which assumes all killing will cease upon the withdrawal of those nasty neo-imperialists in Afghanistan. His party’s manifesto conspicuously fails to mention Pakistan’s homegrown problem with terrorism or, for that matter, the ethnic and sectarian violence that is currently plaguing the country. Nor does he have a solution to any of these problems. Withdrawing the support for the US war in Afghanistan does not constitute a counter terrorism strategy for Pakistan.
Let’s give Khan the benefit of the doubt here. His policy statements could be the announcements of a wily politician. Perhaps he’s performing the old trick of canvassing on idealism — attracting students and the disaffected — only to govern with pragmatism and realism upon election. However, this is unlikely. Imran Khan does not do wile, guile or irony. He is a man who says what he believes and believes what he says. Good for a doctor, less so for a politician. Like the Liberal Democrats in the UK, or perhaps the unworldly Obama supporters, is he really ready for the responsibility and concessions of government? Or does he secretly prefer his perennial outsider status, untainted by the grubbiness of compromise?
So would this courageous, decent and good man make a first-rate prime minster? Time may tell. But leading a country is a lot more difficult than leading a cricket team.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 22nd, 2011.
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Reader Comments (198)
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Your statement reg him choosing to come to Pakistan ‘for his country’ can be applied to BB and other families of politicians – they too can choose to stay/go abroad and enjoy their wealth and social status. Perhaps power has that attraction to make them give it all.
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Whatever. NOT voting for PPP, PML(A,B,….,X,Y,Z) or MQM. PTI is the only choice.
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I still say, if we had to vote tomorrow, there would be no better person to vote for.
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You have raise valid points especially regarding Khan’s personality but there is no alternative and I, my friends and family are going to vote for him in coming election.
Between we don’t need our Prime Minister to do politics but a good leader who lead us from front in which the current government failed miserably.
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George I agree with the naivety part and yes he has a massive ego. But tell me you yourself lived in this country for several years and experienced its various sides first hand. You saw 12th May and 27th December 2007. You nearly got caught up in the Abdullah Shah Ghazi blast. AT the same time you also experienced its culture, people and their inherent goodness. The problem is that all the other alternatives have all been tried in some form and are miserable failures. Many support Musharraf but dont forget he was an iron fisted dictator who dumped the constitution aside and effectively committed treason….twice. I support Imran Khan because i must given the fact that I can expect nothing from the other parties vying for power.
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Spot on….he might be our only hope but his party is only just about him and him alone. When given a chance, I’m sure he’ll be like all other politicians of this country! Corrupt. Its easier to say all good things when u r not the PM…once u get there u tend to be like everyone else I’m sure
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Excellent article. Imran Khan is a great man but a politically incompetent. He needs to leave politics and begin a media career as talk show host, that way he can still get the attention and give his opinions on all subjects under the sky.Recommend
I have an idea George, why don’t we just let Zardari carry on instead of trying this untested commodity? Good idea?
Don’t know why people insist on negatively speculating about the future rather than be positive about someone who is clearly trying to bring something fresh into our rotten politics.
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At last some one said it like it is.
Thanks George.
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Vote for PTI
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All true. He has the basic ingredients to make for a good prime minister but he needs to really lay out his strategy for running the government and the country – concrete plans A and B for all major issues that impact the lives of Pakistanis : clean and efficient govt, independent and less toxic foreign policy, education, health and reduction in poverty.
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Still he is the best available option!Do you want us to elect the same individuals over and over again?then Sorry!!!!Atleast he is a sincere and honest man.I’m not a blind supporter and i think he should be given a chance to prove himself .I hate those tactics that people call “Politics”.Recommend
George,
Being someone who has seen the party from inside, I fully agree with this statement of yours:
“It’s a party of yes-men, doing the bidding of their chairman.”
If real talent joins the party, it has to remain at arm’s length from central decision making, or it will be ousted one way or the other. If you disagree with the Chairman, or do a little criticism, you are immediately in his bad books and which means the whole party of Yes-Men will become against you.
The problem is, who else to look up to? Between his fans and his haters, the few of us in the middle trying to rationalize our choice, or the less of it, come up with this simple question. Who else to vote then? Unlike rest of the political lot, atleast he gave this country something. But when we look at future Rehman Maliks and Babar Awans in PTI, we start thinking from the scratch. Its really like being in rock and a hard place.
Good piece overall!
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George, you’re clearly not in touch with PTI’s internal affairs at all, because if you were, then you wouldn’t have said it’s a party of yes-men. There may be some, yes, but it is a myth that Imran is a dictator and doesn’t listen to anyone else. If you talk to any neutral observer who knows how the party works, you would have known that Imran is constantly challenged in party meetings, much much more openly than anyone would ever dream of doing in other parties. Not only does he listen, but he also changes his viewpoint if he feels he’s in the wrong. Even some pro-PTI journalists also debate with Imran , sometimes on national television.
Perhaps you are confusing his optimism and confidence, with arrogance and egotism. He was and will always be confident and ambitious, but he’s not arrogant. Otherwise, for a first, his team members during his cricket years would not have respected him so much, there would have been a rebellion. The same with PTI, when the founding members are still with the party even now. Surely if he was as arrogant as you say, then they would have left, being in no position to enjoy any perks and privileges being in the opposition for 15 years, stuck with a chairman who had no respect for anyone but himself.
As for your point about PTI not being properly established as a party even after 15 years, you have to take into consideration the difficulties of a party who’s been in the opposition for 15 years and the fact that there is no concept of political fund raising in Pakistan and nobody gives money to parties in opposition. As such, it is a unique experience in Pakistan’s politics, where every other party has been nurtured by the establishment, PTI has been in opposition, standing on its principles without support from anyone. So I would urge you to give PTI some breathing space and judge it based on Pakistan’s political history and environment.
Lastly, I would also like you to read up on the 1970 elections in which Bhutto rose to power. He had no political heavyweights with him as well. But Pakistanis trusted and voted him in. They can do so with Imran as well. :)
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It looks like Geroge is going to vote for him so as we ;)
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Imran Khan is the best choice for Pakistan. All other leaders are corrupt.
Pakistan doesn’t need foreign aid, all we need to do is stop corruption.
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True picture.
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All said, I think this is the most balanced commentary on Imran Khan ever that I heard so far. No doubt he is a good man but everything needs to thought out thoroughly to make promises and you should have a course of action to follow. But if you are not even recognizing a problem to be “problem” then you can’t do much about it. Taliban and Lashkar are not going any where with the election. You should be a good politician to be a good leader. You can’t be a good leader if you are not a good politician. You could be a good man but can’t be a good politician and thus not a good leader. Goals needs to be set realistically. But I guess the country is full of goats and foolish cows who think after the elections. Trial and error is the way to run this country and obviously, you can do so many errors. I don’t think there is any more room for errors. People are dying of diseases, bomb blasts, suicide attacks, kidnappings, no minority rights and being killed for being minorities, firing, no rights to nobody, no civility in a country, journalists are being killed, even guards are running for their own lives so how would they protect their masters, no safety and no security. The country is in shambles and everyone is looking for messiah. I think the best line in the column was “We need leaders who can develop teams, parties and institutions, not another man with a messiah complex” sums it all up.
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Good piece. It’s important that someone break down the problems with IK’s populist agenda from a neutral standpoint. As you’ve mentioned, most of his goals are short-term fixes which really don’t seem well thought out. Plus, his worryingly close political relationship with right-wing parties.
There’s nothing wrong with choosing to support IK, but only if the choice is based on his political vision and his party’s manifesto (which is ambiguous and confusing even for someone with a background in political science), rather than the praiseworthy, but completely unrelated facts that he set up Shaukat Khanum Hospital and was captain of a World Cup winning side.
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Imran Khan has no real plan of action. He’s a demagogue who just goes up on stage and tells the Pakistani public what they want to hear: “Rich people, bad; government, very bad; USA, very, very bad.”
Naturally, he attracts large audiences from this disillusioned, mess of a nation. And that cult may carry him far enough up the political ladder. But what happens when he’s on top and his bubble of idealism bursts, bringing him face-to-face with the harsh realities of a less-than-ideal situation?
Our economy is barely functioning even with foreign aid, and this guy plans to cut that off too? And does it concern no one that his plan to curb counter-terrorist measures is wee bit irresponsible (if not suspicious), considering the terrorist threats we’re constantly facing?
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I am voting for PTI
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Put the names of Zardari, Altaf Hussain, Asfand Yar Wali, Nawaz Sharif, and Imran Khan together and suddenly you will realize that all the weakness you have described above are really not that bad. Off the above name, the only one who has “any policy”, albiet naive is actually Imran Khan. I am not sure if the other guys have any policy at all to deal with major issues facing the country.
And as if honesty and courage are small virtues in this day and age ????
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Now that achieving anything remotely normal seems unrealistically Utopian, this POV will surely help you reconsider your objectives Khan Sahib. Better luck next time.
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After all, Khan is a human being. Putting aside his egotism and political naïveté, he is a man with principles and has a sheer passion; he’s a man who we can trust.
I support and shall vote for none other than the Khan-do-it man. Bring it on!!
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I don’t think he is any different than the right wing parties we have (ie Qazi Hussein & Co). He might get some votes but becoming a PM isn’t a reality for him as PTI lacks known figures on provincial levels .. Even Qazi Hussein gets many people for his Jalsas but when it comes to election they have not been able to win.
We need some one who has real manifesto .. Not some one who says we will withdraw from WoT and everything will be fine overnight .. As the problem is due to some people who don’t respect borders between two countries.
We need a leader who can talks about sealing that border to stop the flow of people who cross it on daily basis without documents including the miscreants and who is sincere about sending back millions of refugees living here and are burden on our weak economy from decades. We need some one who talk about changing the ailing education system, making a unified and updated curriculum in the country, one who, instead of mosque in every street, opens educational institutes, Who can has a policy of population control one who takes real steps in creating dams to solve the shortage of electricity in the country which affects all 180 million people of this country.
He does possess some very good leadership qualities but unfortunately is far from solving our problems. I would rather prefer Musharraf over him or any other current lot.
Also, the problem is many people don’t vote during election and those who does are always stuck with parties instead of following or bothering to check their manifestos or if their elected leaders ever followed it.
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The problem with us is that we have all the time to criticise others. We all have become political commentators advising others which thing seems realistic and which doesnt,. If you think you are better than Imran Khan then why dont you form a party and struggle? If you would seem better than I will vote for you. On the one hand we weep at the state of our country and on the other we try to find weaknesses in the few people who have got the capacity to deliver.
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Let me use your own words ‘ courageous, decent and good man ‘ , you left out honest and as far as I am concerned and I think for a lot many Pakistanis, these qualities are more than enough for a good prime minister.
Having said that, I feel that elections are engineered to produce a required result and do not necessarily reflect the aspirations of the people and Imran should understand this.
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I DONT BUY THIS STORY…………..I WILL VOTE FOR KHAN. INSHALLAH HE WILL WIN THE NEXT ELECTIONS
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Did you wrote this before or after reading his book?
I have no doubt that he can manage to build a team around him,Just like he did for SKMH and Namal.Only thing worrying me is when all political parties will join hands and putting Molvis at front,when he will be fighting their corruption.It would be intresting seeing him dealing with them all.
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“cut foreign aid, cut expenditure, tax the rich and fight corruption” you call that unrealistic? That should be the minimum. Imran Khan isn’t incompetant and insincere like other politicians. He will deliver.
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Hammad partially agreed, but I think the point of the article is not to do negative criticism on Imran Khan, but to get the message across to Khan and the party about what the people really think and I believe such articles are very important, because consider for a moment that many people actually plan to vote for PTI, that doesn’t mean that others should not identify his apparent weaknesses (by apparently I mean that maybe there are solutions that he doesnt talk about now, but will talk about when the right time i.e. election time comes). I have no doubt that Khan is planning his innings and that such articles are healthy and would really help him to plan better.
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great article, George…
but as the comments indicate, we, Pakistanis, dont attach any real importance to the flaws of our politicians anymore (coz 99.99% of them are tried and tested slimeballs ;p)
so as long as he is the lesser of all evils, he stands a pretty decent chance..
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he seems to have forgotten pakistan after going back to UK … Pakistan got 20B$ aid in 10 years and lost 70b$ in Return of 20 …
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Mr.george a good article. Your apprehensions are not unfounded….but one thing goes in his favour and u also acknowledge it..mmhe is a decent. Couragious man with no duble standards.he says what he believes and what he believes he does. This is enough for pakistan….people should give him a chance. He may or may not be a success but one thing is sure…imran will try sincerely.
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He is nothing but a clueless man who knows nothing about politics, economy or geo-political realities and those supporting him are even bigger day-dreamers.
The most tragic thing is, he was not even a good cricket captain, it was sheer good luck that he won the world cup. A man with such a big ego can never be great leader. I watched a programme on an Indian channel, where all world cup winning ex-captains were invited to participate and express their opinion about the experiences they went through while leading their respective teams to the ultimate victory, ie. the world cup. Every ex-captain did remember their colleagues with fond memories and praised the efforts of their respective team members’ performances, that, ultimately, led them to lift the precious trophy, except our good old and great Imran Khan, who kept on insisting and implying that he was leading a bunch of unruly, imperfect and talentless cricketers, yet, his exceptional leadership qualities made it possible for Pak team to lift the trophy!
Believe me Pak buddies, Mr. Zardari, Mr. Gilani, Mr. Altaf Hussain or even the good old Moulana Diesel are far more good politicians than Mr. Khan.Recommend
Oh George, just stop bothering.. you dont believe in it and you dont need to.. if u read thru the comments, you’d know that the majority does believe in it.. and im sure InshAllah this is goin to happen.. we’ll make it happen.. i will vote for him and gather with me as many voters as i can.. enjoy the life in UK george, we’ve got this..Recommend
I would have easily dubbed him as a beardless Mullah, but, this so called savior of Pakistan, is more than that, he is nothing but The most tragic thing is, he was not even a good cricket captain, it was sheer good luck that he won the world cup. A man with such a big ego can never be great leader. I watched a programme on an Indian channel, where all world cup winning ex-captains were invited to participate and express their opinion about the experiences they went through while leading their respective teams to the ultimate victory, ie. the world cup. Every ex-captain did remember their colleagues with fond memories and praised the efforts of their respective team members’ performances, that, ultimately, led them to lift the precious trophy, except our good old and great Imran Khan, who kept on insisting and implying that he was leading a bunch of unruly, imperfect and talentless cricketers, yet, his exceptional leadership qualities made it possible for Pak team to lift the trophy!a clueless fool who knows nothing about politics, economy or geo-political realities and those supporting him are even bigger fools, a bunch of naive and idiotic day-dreamers.
Believe me Pak buddies, Mr. Zardari, Mr. Gilani, Mr. Altaf Hussain or even the good old Moulana Diesel are far more good politicians than Mr. Khan. It is simply because you can afford to live under the above corrupt characters as that would be relatively safe bet, but, living under a fool is simply dangerous!!
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WELL done, George! I used to be a supporter / fan a while back. But like with Nawaz Sharif and Busharraf, I ain’t one no more. Gonna share this !!
Kudos !!!! =D
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Loved the Obamaesque title as well. Even though I loathe and detest that closet Republican…
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so if someone stands firm on principle, he is considered “stubborn” and “naive”. Sorry, but we don’t need any more “politicians”, we need leaders. This is true for Pakistan as well as many other countries around the world.
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East Or West Imran Khan Is Best…..
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Who says Mr khan is untested he has been in the lime light since he took center stage as a bowler. And after watching his attitide as captain of Pak cricket team i shudder to think what he will do as PM. I dont think democracy and the country will survive Mr Khan style of mannagment ( in criecket he had his leathal bowling to back him up a skill which not do him much godd in governing the country)
As for having no option well you dont jump into the fire just becuase you are currently in hot water.
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If we have given every Tom, Dick and Harry a chance to rule our country, I think its not unreasonable to give him a chance now. It might prove to be a risk well taken. At the very least with him/his party coming into power there will be a glimmer of hope for a better future!
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George, you know what….you were a pessimist when you left the Pakistan and after reading this article, I can safely say still you are. You admired Khan, yet managed to find fault with him.I do not want to demoralize you and I appreciate your concerns but your pen will leave some people, who blindly believe in your arguments, in doubt. There is no globally accepted definition and hence example of perfection or leadership. Majority of the Americans do not support dictatorship, fundamentalism and communism but these abstract nouns work well for KSA, Iran and China respectively. Many people justified Mr. Obama as the winner of the “Peace” Noble Prize but no Afghani would. Ex president Bush was a hero for many Americans but an Iraqi journalist threw shoe at him. For the English men, who watch the suicide attacks and drone strikes in Pakistan while sipping coffee, Imran Khan might not be a perfect leader, but for the Pakistanis he is the perfect one. We shall Insha Allah vote for him and we shall Insha Allah rise.
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Give me a flawed politican over a corrupt politican any day of the week!
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Those who criticize Imran Khan, I want them to give us an alternative…all of them r so good in criticizing but fail to give better option than IK…Surely Vote for IK
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@Shaesta: The easiest thing in this world is to convince a girl on any political viewpoint- you know why? They immediately agree to what they can not comprehend easily.
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For those who think Imran is one man show and egotist, they must visit Shaukat Khanam Hospital once. Imran Khan is not administring the hospital but is performing exceptionally good. Imran Khan believes in strengthening institutions and he can. He will Insha Allah strengthen all the institutions of Pakistan on similar lines.
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IMRAN is the ONLY choice we have. lets trust him for this time. . .
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All i need is a leader that don’t lie to the public and perform his duties honestly. My vote is only for PTI enough with these present corrupt mafia parties.
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George, First of all a fair analysis of the man and his foibles. The criticism of the party is also fair as right now it revolves around Imran (which I think is a good thing at this stage though).You have to give it points for its web savvyness and constant mobilization campaign. Its maturing nicely and has steered clear of violence, factionalism, militant student wings, personal rivalries common in other Pakistani parties.
I have to point out two things you have gotten dead wrong.First the criticism that Imran is less like Obama.
First of all grouping Obama and Lincoln together was hysterical, I assume it was tonge in cheek. If you follow American liberal commentators(Glenn Greenwald, Cenk Ugher, Rachel Maddow,Spencer Ackerman etc) Obama has been a complete disaster. His record in Iraq, Afghanistan,Civil Liberties,Escalating the drone war,Israel/Palestine, Environmental protection, Immigrant rights, the economy, Islamophobia in government agencies,Financial reform are abysmal. He gives a good speech but that about the only good thing you could say about him.If you really think he is a “great statesman” comparable to Lincoln that needs to be emulated,then I refuse to take you seriously anymore.
And secondly “Chomskyite Fantasy” really? Is that what the real world is called now days??
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Imran Khan is very intelligent and knowledgeable person who has true understanding of his country.
He, for sure, can bring change in Pakistan but chances are that cunning ruling elite will not allow him to disturb the status quo.
So his fight for social change will not be the easy one and at the end his ideas will win.
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I believe Imran Khan to be the only leader who can bring Pakistan out of all these crises through his honest intentions and firm decisions. Same things have been said about Quaid-e-Azam but he showed the whole world that unity,faith & discipline can do miracles. I’m not compairing Imran Khan with Quaid but still my observation ascertains me of Imran’s success. In Contemporary circumstances, Pakistani nation views him as the one who has capability of uniting this nation again and bringing us out of dire situation. I agree that in some areas he has lack of experience and he is not involved into all those conspiracies which are specialty of our leaders. But still,he got a myriad youngsters with him and i and majority of our youth idealizes him as a sincere and honest leader.
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@Ahsan Mansoor:
I’m totally agreed with you…I have served the party as President Balochistan but I can count on my fingers those FAVOURITES of my Chairman who controls everything…no doubt Imran Khan is a very good person but there are hundreds of thousands of good people in Pakistan but, the question is, DO THEY MAKE GOOD LEADERS ALSO?
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So Mr Georg you wants us to continue vote for Altaf hussain, Zardari, fazal rehman, nawaz sharif etc. our destiny is to be ruled by sharif and bhutto family? if he dont want to make deal with ruling elite, he is stubborn? i dont know what u want to say. he is honest, hard working but stubborn so not good for country. zardari, nawaz sharif, altaf hussain, fazal rehman are not stubborn so keep voting for them. they very flexible, they can make any u-turn for power.Recommend
George, I respect your point of view, but Zoaib’s point of view is equally balanced. After a long time in your article i have found some one criticizing Imran in the right words. look at the comments your article has attracted. They are all going to vote for him including you. No matter how naive, over confident, arrogant, stupid, biased or selfish he may be, but he is not a bonafide criminal as all others are. We will all make sure he wins the next elections, Inshallah
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So a man like Zardari is fit for leading us while an honest man isn’t. George, what other choice do we have?
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You have done a disservice to Pakistan by writing this article. Instead of recognizing all that he has done for the country, and encouraging Pakistanis to invest in change, you chose to lay your cynicism upon us. Your article is a disappointment, and I suggest you start doing something useful with your time, than dampening the spirits of those who are trying to change Pakistan. Pakistan has had enough of corrupt politicians. You may want political leaders who cheat, steal, and lie, but Pakistanis certainly do not deserve that.
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George: Please enlighten us pakistanis, if not Imran Khan, then who should we vote for?
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I suppose this only helps confirm now that Fulton is some sort of agent; whether he has been one all along or was just recruited along the way, we don’t know.
But I wonder who it is that he is working under . . . ?
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i believe the author and the people who say ‘he is the only choice left we have tried all others’ are both right in their own perspectives. The readers should not take this article as a symbol of criticizing the PTI but take the opportunity out of it to let happen what we want Imran Khan the next prime minister! but we need to understand that we all are talking just about Imran Khan he cant be the PM by just winning the 1 seat he earns through election or can he? NO! and how many of us know any other executive member (a person who will run for elections from PTI)?? atleast i dont and neither have i seen since the birth of PTI any other person popping up on television talkshows and etc for PTI other than Imran Khan, any of u have ever? NO!
and to the point that he is egoistic, for me the times we are going through we really need to be egoistic and ZA Bhutto was way too egoistic than Imran Khan but he used it at the right time and at right place which made him the great leader (as per i believe) but along with it he had his party grow with members who could run the party not just vote!
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The only political party that has actually managed to produce leaders out of ordinary folks is MQM. This is acknowledged home and abroad. MQM is not a party that has gone after electables like PTI is currently doing and inviting people with dubious backgrounds are joining party in the hope that Imran Khan has made inroads with the establishment.
Political partiers are formed after an ideology presented by the leader attracts masses, as it happened with the MQM. Otherwise all other parties are corporates with CEOs.
I hope and pray that people rise above prejudice and see what phenomenon has been produced by the MQM for the people of Pakistan where politics was meant only for the elites, What MQM is today is actually a manifestation of governement of the people by the people for the people.
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As a nation we have mastered one art – doubt people. Authors statement “Perhaps he’s performing the old trick of canvassing on idealism — attracting students and the disaffected — only to govern with pragmatism and realism upon election” is a similar catalyst.
I will vote for Imran Khan.
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George,
We’re not getting 20 billion dollars in aid every year. Its the TOTAL we’ve received in the last decade for the SERVICES we’ve provided. Stop misinforming people.
And its a shame you consider the idea of no aid admirable and at the same time ridicule the only politician in Pakistan who stands for it. Support him in achieving that goal rather than taking the easy way out and labelling it unrealistic. Tell you what, the whole idea of a better Pakistan sounds pretty unrealistic to me right now. Too bad I can’t say I am not bothered because if the country goes down I go down too. You see I don’t have zero stake in Pakistan like you.
In any case for me its a straight choice between PTI and the rest. And a ‘naive’, ‘egotistic’ but an ‘honest’ Imran beats the crooks against him hands down.
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So we Criticise PTI for not having Calibre Leaders? are we all having a laugh? Do we really need a Rehman Malik to run our Interior Ministry and a Firdos Ashique Awan to Inform the People?
We dont need Big Names like Shahbaz Sharif whos Govt is unable to fight Dengue that is proving to be a killer in Punjab and now spreading to other parts of Pakistan.
Yes Imran might be Naive but if Asif Ali Zardari can be the President of Pakistan after being in prison for Corruption Allegations for a decade then why cant Imran be given a Chance to altleast try what he claims. i will support him even if he fails. why? because none of the ones before him passed anyway.
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I simply just agree with the first comment made by Asad Shairani. Cant support him for giving up things and coming to Pakistan as a saviour. Its just the power quest these people after. Imran is a very immature choice because he may be good in the heart but we dont need an emotional leader to lead an already emotional nation with no thinking schedules…. i wonder when will our options grow for the choice of an amiable leadership…..
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That is the real dilemma for Pakistan and Pakistanis. Imran despite being the best choice amongst all available persons jockeying for the leadership of the country, will be in need of ESTABLISHED CRUTCHES which are manipulating the affairs of the country sincce its creation.
The only choice is to let him come in power and mess things up, so that another tragic saga could begin.
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He is the only choice NOW!! One thing, the most important, INTEGRITY – is only in Imran Khan at this time. Got to give him a chance and he deserves it. Rest of the politicians, tried and tested 2 to 3 times – all pathetic and look where we are now because of their doings.
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Imran Khan is a terrorist sympathizer. I’m tired of all numerous comments being censored. Has ET decided to just censor everything that says anything negative about Imran Khan or the ISI? I guess it goes to show that Imran Khan is in bed with the ISI.
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Ha the bane of hero worship in the sub continent? You make a man a super hero, give him all powers, that will make him turn into a monster, without checks and balances of a parliamentary democracy? The process of parliamentary democracy if exercised well will through up, good leadership. But then that takes time and patience. Please understand Pakistan is a para military democracy. The procedural change has to haapen there.
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Every political party is led by certain permanent leaders. There is no freshness in any party, so why should PTI be different.
I doubt he can do any better than others. The simple problem seems to be they have no local government experience. Local government is a great training ground. Just look at Workers Party in Brazil and AKP in Turkey.
Pakistan will remain stuck in guagmire of underperforming leaders and revolving door elections (people seem to have short memories- so they elect those they discarded in previous round expecting something different when same people return and then predictably get buyers remorse very quickly)! Political parties need to reform themselves, if Pakistan is to get better results from them- and they should allow for local elections or their own good. Doing better will make them benefit in ways they have not benefitted yet.
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People get the leaders they deserve
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No leader is perfect but till the time he is honest and wants to bring about a change, I am with him and expect all my country men to be who love Pakistan.Recommend
Creation of Pakistan owes a lot to Jinnah’s charisma. It is unimportant whether or not Imran Khan has a solid political ground and team, his charisma alone is enough to inspire us, for he has all the makings of a great leader – someone like Jinnah. The comments must’ve given you an idea about his overwhelming support.Recommend
Beautiful piece! 100% agree with this article.Recommend
Astonishing as it sounds, all the factors stated in this article are rather true. But , the old thought a lot of people in Pakistan that is ” THIS CANNOT BE DONE “. You cannot achieve anything unless you try. The fact that Imran Khan is not attracting talented people? What talented polticians are we talking about? If some one big from PPP OR PML (N) joins him, there would be huge roars that Khan has joined the same old feudal group. As pakistanis we are prone to change now. We are scared to change. We are so used to think that nothing can be done right that we do not see courage and honor. We compare things that need not to be compared. T run and change a country, you need Vision, we need courage, we need beleif. Every thing else we have tried in the past 60 yrs has failed.
Since you compared running a country with a team , it was that in expereinced team that shoked the whole wotrld. Change is brought by Sincerity..Thats all you need.
Coming towards terrorism, the tribal areas and the people of these areas were regarded by Quaid e Azam as ” Soldiers for Pakistan without a Uniform “. Why were these killings not taking place in the 80′s or 90′s. Why now. Ill answer. A person that goes to the market and sells onions on his cart wheel, when comes back home finds his house collapsed, family members dead, what will he do. He means no harm. But when you kill his family members you are bound to face the consequences. People are not stupid. They are the people who when suffer this turmoil are used by forces like tehreek e taliban and what ever other.
A country that relies on foreign aid will alwaysbe enslaved and mnd sets as well. China built it self from scratch, we have example of Japan. We have all the resources. All we nedd is a few years not more that 3..and we will be on our way. Politics does not mean compromise. It stands for Principles and Values. Nothing else.Recommend
If you think there is no one after Imran, comparatively who is after other party leaders….are they better than Imran’s team..
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There are some important recommendations in the above peice:
Most importantly, Imran is a good man. Everyone, kindly gauge yourself; can you openly assign the subject attribute to anyone on the political arena in Pakistan? Can you without hesitation say Good to someone in the various religious and other social outfits? Can you say without any trace of doubt that your milkman, fruit-seller, Imam of Mosque, your tenant, your employee, your subordinate, your neighbour etc IS A GOOD MAN?
My point is being Good is the biggest virtue. If some one is good, he will learn with the passage of time to be more pragmatic, more humble, more palatable.
Imran is therefore the only choice. But without mobilizing the illeterate and under priviliged pouplation of small towns and villages, Imran has very grim chances of doing good in the elections.Recommend
I am not going to vote for him unless he forges an alliance that has a realistic chance of winning. He may have 60% of the support of the more vocal and visible urban population but when the numbers come in they would be far from being enough. His own seat is far from guaranteed in the next election, what to say of his YesMen.Recommend
George your detailed note on Pakistan politics shows u care for this country as much as any other Pakistani would do. We appreciate your efforts and keep commenting. Yes Imran Khan would be an ideal choice but i am sorry it will be difficult for him to survive multiple threats. To survive in ths country which has a strong feudel system. If he does that then automatically PTI will get corrupt. The change has to come at the grass root level.Recommend
The problem is: will he get elected in the next elections? Based on my previous experience. The only thing different this time around is the proliferation of the internet and the social media and judging by the views on this forum, a majority of the cyber community supports Imran. But all you younger people who are supporting Imran on the web: are you even registered as voters? And will you take the trouble to go out and vote in the next elections? A visit to the web-site of the Election Commission of Pakistan says: “the web based electoral rolls service is temporarily suspended” and no one has as yet turned up (at least at my house) for registering my vote. So will the potential voters of Imran Khan even be registered to vote by the time the next election come arrive?Recommend
George the people on this comments section have spoken and inshallah the rest of pakistan will speak also Imran Khan is the man who despite all his human faults is willing to live and die amongst us and that is why i support him.
A little something to ponder over for his haters
It’s not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or when the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worth cause; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at the worst if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.
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George………..hmm i guess you got the answer!
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You have raised some valid points, no doubt. BUT … now its a choice between an “Honest Naive Person” (as ur opinion summarises) and “Competent Swines” … my vote for the former !Recommend
It is decision time for Pakistan. Let Imran Khan take its reins. Its fate will then finally be decided one way or the other. He may succeed in isolating Pakistan Mahatir style and Pakistan could become another Malyshia. Or total isolation could terminate its woeful existence.
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There are always two faces of a leader in ‘non-revolution’ times, what he is ‘showing’ is for the people who’d vote for him, what he ‘is’, he cannot do all that he claims, but he is atleast showing the intention, and thats what marks him as a ‘face’ ushering into the new era, for people who do not want a ‘revolution’, but are desperate for a change. He can’t do much anyway, the variables in Pakistan are far beyond human imagination and only a mass uprising a ‘revolution’ may be able to solve it.Recommend
Still i will vote for IMRAN KHAN. not only i will vote for him but i will work for him in my local area. I think we all should work for him.
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I simply love the overwhelmingly positive response of readers whenever someone writes about read against) Imran Khan. Georgy, you can see how we love and adore the man! :)
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@ Bilal Bin Yousuf… sir I just have one question… if Imran really wins … SO if Imran wants to form a government, who will he form a coalition with. I mean he needs an outright majority to form a government …. so the only people he will be looking laterally will be the other political parties and whom Imran is scorning ….. that is the question…. what my prediction is that Imran will climb on all these public satisfying statements he makes about political parties and than eventually he will team up with these parties to make up the government because the ultimate reality he knows too is to get the power. So he will play to gallery at the moment by say hoo blaa to all the political leaders but will eventually join them after getting power.
Honestly I am still with you for the fact that he may have good intentions…… but he has a very irrational approach… and after this laboratory litmus experimental choice that every one wants to make (come on man lets try him because he hasnt been tested yet), they all will stand to square one …… honestly in my opinion some one with a scientific background with a very good intellect, who understands the reality of scientific education as the reason for a nation to rise … rather than a guy who has mastered the ability to swing a cricket ball. I wish all Pakistanis a great future , because I am a Pakistani too , though living abroad , but will want to return any time as my country heals… believe me …Recommend
Voting for him is actually supporting another 5 year rule of PPP and PML Q. I simply cannot digest another 5 year rule by PPP. Will vote for PML N so that we dont get Zardari again at the helm of affairs. No doubt PML N is not ideal but still it is much much better than any other political party. NS has shown maturity and statesmanship ever since his return to the country. Time for Imran will come inshallah but not this time because now he is only going to play a role of a spoiler, unless PTI and PML N can enter into an electoral alliance. That would be ideal!!!
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@ Abbas … well said
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@Engr. Mohsin Raza:
“Sports plays a societal role in engendering jingoist and chauvinist attitudes. They’re designed to organize a community to be committed to their gladiators.”
Noam Chomsky
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@MD:
Your two fat comments speak very clearly that you have something against the man. Whatever you believe – it doesn’t matter as far as rest of us are concerned. You do not like Imran Khan, fine! You do not want to see him as a prime minister, okay! You are not being truthful when you refer to the world cup captain session where Imran Khan did, and many times at that, speak about his colleagues. As per him it was a team effort. It seems you are in a dire need of info-facts.
As for your ‘prophecy’ that he will not win the upcoming election, it is a completely baseless and unfounded assumption. It is time, and not you, that will tell. Apart from the winning or losing prospect, Imran Khan has already done a lot for this nation what with SK Cacner Hospital and NUML University.Recommend
true enuf IK is not neccessarily the best politician to have come forward, but at least we dont doubt his sincerity or motives.
I would rather vote in a party of inexperienced yes men than tried and tested thieves busy building real estate abroad.the less said about all these peoples collective IQ , and vision for pakistan the better.
So bring on IK he cannot possibly do any worse , that im sure ofRecommend
Pretty fair and balanced. Not the hatchet job I was expecting!
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Totally agree with you George. Well written !
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I agree with most of the content here but than again as my brothers have earlier stated ‘what other option/choice do we have’. The guy is the best possible option out of everything and i would like to mention here that even if he’s wrong in some areas, he holds the potential to do right at the same timeRecommend
@Saira… Imran is just a desperate choice of a desperate nation
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Stay out of Pakistan and its issues! You are no one to tell people whom to vote!Recommend
In a world we live in there’s nothing called a ‘perfect’ politician, George. I fail to see the fairness in criticising him so much without being given a single chance to walk the corridoors of power.
Write something on the current lot so that anyone still inspired by these ‘not-so-naive’ politicians changes his/her mind in the interest of this country.
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Let us give chance to someone who is trying to save Pakistan….and if he has so many negativity than why he’s still a role model for millions…..so please be positive and i hope that IMRAN KHAN can do good for this deprived nation!!!
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At last someone who talks sense. But I would draw the line at your statament:
“It’s a party of yes-men, doing the bidding of their chairman.”, sadly the vast majority of the nation are yes men.
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believe me that all successful people when not successful are considered naive and woefully optimistic like IK but why the are successful? They stick to what they believe and we all know that IK is believing in right things but we are not able to see how he will ever gonna get there, that’s why we r cynical of him.
But i think he is the only hope in Pakistan and yes war on terror is a hoax, it has just destroyed two countries afghanistan and pakistan. On 2011 the US and for that matter its allies has one enemy i.e Alqaida now look how many enemies do US and its allies have? alqaida, taliban and on our side pakistan taliban, lashkare jhangvi and many others……… Religious intolerance and extremism that we liberals are so afraid of is a result of poor educational system… madrassas running on charities, then poor public schools, then relatively better public schools and then the elite schools….u bring all 5 children from various schools at the same age and educational level …u will see how divergent their thoughts and upbringing is happening…and it is the only cause of secterainism, intolerance and division.. our elites or politicians or generals or bereaucrats never tried to bring educational equality but only built elite schools…. i have attended madrassas and i can state confidently that the real issue is this…. and only one man IK knows whr the problem is but we want superficial solution that looks good to liberals… Yes he has an ego but thanks god his ego is for promoting good …. ego that is not hurt by petty criticism or selfishness….. and believe me he is grown as a politician and leaders through out those years…..
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Imran Khan is one of the few genuine leaders we have in Pakistan. Despite whatever misgivings, I think we need to give him a chance- he deserves it.
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Believe me, he will be able to run the country and look after things much much better than whats going on now. I guess we will be clearly back on track of development and prosperity if Imran Khan wins upcoming elections.
Situation would be much better than it is now under the Asif Ali Zardari’s Peoples Party.
Looking forward to the change.
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The evolution of democracy in Pakistan and its sucess is contingent on leaders of every shade of opinion being able to convey to the Pakistani voter the alternates to current and future policies that politicians aspiring to and achieving power can pursue.
Political naivety may have caused Imran Khan and the PTI to miss the bus in the last general elections. Well wishers of Pakistan’s struggle with voter’s political education can only hope this alternate voice of Pakistani aspirations does not engage in self defeatist isolating political moves again. Democracy is a lengthy and cumbersome process and the sucessful route to power requires political parties and leaders to learn from past mistakes.
Imran Khan’s strengths as a leader include honesty, and self sacrifice that would be considered rare amongst the currently arrayed Pakistani leaders of political parties and opnions. His weaknesses include political ineptness and the apparent lack of political ability to sucessfully navigate the Pakistani political process as an aspirant to power.
The strong positive reaction from segments of the educated urban middle class as apparent by his supporters voicing opinions repeatedly on this forum, have to find a meaningful translation of support at the ballot box. Politically he could still be out manouvered by politcal rivals evoking an evolving voter sense of ethnicity and sectarian considerations.
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The word ‘plan’ is the key here.Good or bad one aside,does anyone really think that the rest of the lot have any to begin with? This country cant limp like this forever. Time is running fast enough to make Pakistanis realize that they must rise or succumb to their wounds instead of taking this poison, slowly and gradually. I feel like Khan is the man of his words, has the best available team and a visionary.Recommend
Urban educated person does understand Imran Khan’s shortcomings and he truly is less than ideal. However, there is no better statesman than him at this time in Pakistan. I am sure his ideas and political sense has matured over many years and will further progress down the road. Some of the ideas he presents like opting out of war on terror doesnt sound strange to me. Supporting war on terrorism didnt help Pakistan in last 10 years and in fact further deteriorated it in every way. Our economy has collapsed and so is the social fabric. When Zardari government took over there was a tremendous flight of capital from Pakistan. Foreign investment is down to 77%. All this probably partially due to political, law and order situation here but major credit goes President and his team. Imagine if investor’s confidence returns with Imran Khan being a top leader than I guess Pakistan wont remain that dependent on foreign loans as much as its today. But I agree governing a country is not easy and he is yet to be tested in political arena of Pakistan.Recommend
I was with the group around him in Birmingham a few days ago – with the people he has currently around him, I doubt he will attract cross-political support or talent.
As an individual I have respect and admiration for him but politically – NOPE!Recommend
Imran’s the only honest person in Pakistan politics. He cares about the nation and its people. That is enough for me to vote for him. His sincerity will help him through his time as prime minister – which is going to happen inshallah!
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I couldn’t agree more with all of the points that George raised. But the question is: besides him what other choices do we have? Even if you think that there’s no candidate who’s exactly how you’d want your leader to be, democracy is about choosing the best of the worst so you don’t end up with the worst leader. When it comes to leadership, Pakistan has no shortage of failed ones or “experiments in democracy”. Keeping that in mind, I think that Imran Khan deserves at least one chance to show us what he’s got.
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Instead of everyone always trying to convince others not to vote Tehreek e Insaf into power, why doesnt ANYONE on express tribune ever write an article on why “so and so” IS a good choice?
Who would make a good prime minister George? can you fill us naive Imran followers in? that would be more productive.Recommend
u talked about foreign aid. trust me .. once the forein aid will be cut and ppl of pakistan will know that the government is sincere with them, they will give everything to boost the economy. There are million of ppl working abroad, they will send money like hell to save the economy, trust me, as they did when he had asked for his hospitals.
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Well said Mohammed Abbasi.. thats exactly my point of view… people are confusing his cricketing talent , cricketing leadership, into a country leadership ,.. and that also because of desperation… he is an extremely admirable person…. great personality but his political acumen and the people with him …. well i hope people understand he is not up to it ….. I wish he becomes the coach of Pakistan cricket team… it will be a good service to the country.
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Pakistan has seen the fruits of “real politicians” and God save us from them. If morals and values weren’t important, why did the Western societies adopt them wholeheartedly.
Deal making is good but only on policy issues and not for sharing the loot with the rest of political parties. If that is pragmatism, then we don’t want it.
Imran will be deal maker on policy issues. Except for Afghan war, he has not taken a hard stand on any major issue. He wants peace with India, wants negotiated settlement in Baluchistan, and wants smaller nationalist parties to join him. This is a big departure from our past. On Afghan war, only time will whether he is right or not. Our liberal friends have surely been wrong from day one when they tried to turn this into an ideological war.Recommend
NO to Imran Khan. he Will be a Disaster for Pakistan!
PS : He Will NEVER come into Power Insha’Allah.
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Give him a chance! We see the best bet to salvage Pakistan, in him.
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I think this argument of inexperience is a flawed one! we don’t need seasoned and corrupt politicians to run this country to its final demise. if one consider the idea of experience, then there will never be a place for a new and decent person to run this country. He is 58, well educated, well read and have travelled the length and breadth of the country than another politician.
He commands the respect of masses and have proved himself and his credentials in the form of Cancer Hospital and Namal University speaks for itself.
More over JFK, George Bush, Obama, Tony Blair… non of them had experience of governments and by that I don’t mean that all of them were good heads of Governments.
One should not forget one last thing a lamp post would make a better PM….at least we will be spared from corruption.
I will appeal to all fellow countrymen to give this hero a chance and vote en mass for PTI, which I beleive will win by a landslide.Recommend
I would vote for zardari before I vote for imran khanRecommend
Hey George it is always pleasant and good to hear from you, Your articles show your love and Care for your previous Country of Residence (Pakistan). We appreciate and respect your input.
Your comments about Mr Khan are welcome and balanced, however My friend the Guy with his British ethics, education, honesty sincerity and proven track record of qualitatively excellent administrative handling of his hospital and Namal University are a lot of achievements to brag about. You tell me who else we have got apart from a genuinely decent bloke like Imran. Others have proved to be are vultures who have and shall feast on the remaining bones of the country, Imran defintely deserves a chance, his credibility, honesty, personal sacrifices, philapntrophy as well his brilliant social reform agenda ( Educational Emergency etc) qualify him to be the next prime minister of Pakistan..These qualities alone overshadow his negligible political immaturity, he has and he will politically evolve I am sure..but trust me he is the only leader with an ounce of credibility left in the country, the rest are deceivers who shall flee to Park Lanes and 1-Hyde parks in london once they are not in power..Recommend
Other have either corruption or blood on their hands whereas Imran has none of that…
“And I don’t count Shireen Mazari as talent” Is it because she is a woman or a patriot? or both? George you also are not Rumi as far as anyone can tell. Judging someone without any understanding or a clear reason shows your bais as well as your “intelligence”
Pakistan has all the potential and the natural resources to be self sufficient and if Imran wants to break the begging bowl may God and the people help him…this “war on terror” has brought blood and suffering to the country .Recommend
Me , my friends and my whole family will vote for IMRAN KHAN. For all who have commented in favor of IK should get their votes registered, and at least convince 5-10 potential voters to vote for PTI. INSHALLAH PTI will win the next elections.
Vote For Change …….. Vote For PTI
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while never an imran khan in the past, its safe to assume that he stands the best chance given a fair election of the PM slot in 2013. despite the one man show, his party continues to exert power and has been showing it in recent months. i’ve always supported president musharraf, and continue to do so till now.i strongly believe that the PML-N/PPP nexus has to be broken for the next 20 years for pakistan to come out of this horrible mess it has been put into by this incompetent government. hopefully, this experiement with the PPP that the people voted into power on sympathy willbe remembered for years to come. the lesson should be, never vote on sympathy but on rationale. our public ought to learn. the ideal situation in my mind would be a link up between the PTI and musharrafs APML, along with smaller regional parties to defeat the PPP and PML-N. its a tough task, and the vested interests are spreading a lot of disinformation against both imran and musharraf. but once president musharraf returns inshallah, him and imran need to put aside their differences and work together.
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Okay, Who else other than Imran Khan then?
We don’t have a choice, IK is the man!
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No one else but Musharraf – and only Musharraf and only Musharraf.
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Imran has a lot of problems and the only way he will come into power will be through a military backed government. Imran does not have the political support or following to win any seats for himself or his party in a fair election.
The problems with Imran are his ego, his lack of clarity on issues/resolution and his alignment with right wing mullahs. He was a westernized liberal who has switched sides and has tried to portray an Islamic face. This does not work as he will not get the support of the liberals nor the mullahs. In addition, the majority of Pakistanis do not support Islamist parties.
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@Asad Shairani: Yes, they could either go to UK, enjoy their lives, or they could stay in government to swell their swiss banks, play wqith poor peoples lives, and enjoy their lives more.
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He may has egotism, stubbornness and political naivety, but more important for me is that he is honest to this country and his integrity is above all and every one. No man is perfect, and no leader has all the the qualities. Imran khan is the picture of truth, and this is his political weakness. He has got rigid stand against war on terror, and this is barrier to his aspirations and political career. This is all because he always speaks truth, and I am sure truth will prevail.
When he was captain, people criticized his style, but he lead this country to victory stand. When he started project of Shaukat khanum, every one said it will take 20 years and he was considered so ambitious. When Shaukat khanum was constructed finally then it was said that this institution will fail because of his governance style.
Look! when responsibility comes then great people change for better nation and society. I see this quality in the Khan!
He has courage to take bold steps and this nation will not change until such steps are taken. So we back him fully! We are behind him.
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Imran Khan is not “naive”, he is intellectually challenged – the radical, impractical solutions to Pakistan’s problems he advocates are proof positive that the man is not playing with a full deck.
And can we please stop with the he is a “decent” man who says what he believes canard. A cursory glance into his past reveals that he is anything but decent and honest.
Anyone who manages to be the captain of the Pakistani cricket team for some time can never be a decent fellow – it’s a contradiction in terms.
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Find me a perfect man, and I will withdraw my support for Imran Khan.
Who are we stacking Imran Khan against – Asif Ali Zardari, Nawaz Sharif, Altaf Hussain, Fazlur Rehman, Asfandyar Wali? Who would you rather like to see our next prime minister?
It is easy to take a pot shot and call names, but is difficult to do a realistic assessment of the ground and come with an in-depth analysis. I find your article lacking in intellectual depth and the political insight expected of a seasoned journalist, with real experience of Pakistan.
You can do much better than perpetuating a stereotype.
Regards
Asad Faizi
Seattle, WashingtonRecommend
Would someone please tell me who I should vote for then………………..someone……..anyone……………………………….hellooooooooooooooooooooooo. Okay i think i have the answer.
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@Paki:
You seem to give quite easily in to propaganda! :)
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Imran Khan in the ONLY HOPE for Pakistan today.
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I do agree on some points and he needs to change these.But I want to ask you one thing what kind of talent you want to see in his party ehh?? You want Rehman malik, javed hashmi, qureshi, etc.These people are stooge.They don’t speak a single word with their will.You want this kind of talent?? I am not supporting Imran just making my point. I dont see any choice except him even with his egotism and naivety. Lets give him a chance.
P.S. Lashker e Taieba has done nothing in Pakistan.
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@Saira … I just asked a simple question… if imran wins and has to make a government .. who will he form a coalition with… which political party … considering what he has said about all parties…. he is just playing to the gallery
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Mr. George, I am fully agree with you. Imran Khan was a good cricketer but a incompetent,egoestic and fail person in politics. H
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One sentence. “Save Pakistan, Vote to Imran Khan” that’s so simple!
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An excellent portrayal of the fad that is Imran Khan. People need to realize that his naive politics is not what Pakistan needs right now. Its time we came forward and stopped asking for PTI just for the sake of change.
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War between two teams. In A team you have, Zardari, Nawaz, Asfand, Altaf and Diesel. on B team you have Imran Khan.. choice is yours!Recommend
I still remember that show you did with him on tv you couldnt stop admiring him. Even right now you adore him at the start then took a u turn and started talking about his naivety in politics irony ???should i talk about your confused thoughts about the man… we need an administrator/leader… We as a nation do not need politicians and people like zardaris and sharifs. We had tons of those kind of corrupt people. He is the only hope we have. Only good thing in this hell.
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This criticism suffers from the same issues it brings forward against IK and PTI. The criticism is idealistic and does not apply in practice. Practically all other options are gone except IK who is sincere and mad enough to make it work. We dont need a well groomed politician any more… we are sick of them… we need an honest leader and IK has all what it takes to bring us back from the gutter.
Logically IK needs to address all these problems before he should vie for being a prime minister. But logic and pragmatism has failed in Pakistan. Decisions based on realism have brought us where we are now. Its time for some passion and idealism.
اچھا ھے دل کے ساتھ رھے پاسبان عقل
لیکن کبھی کبھی اسے تنہا بھی چھوڑ دے
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Even a blind man can see his hospital and his university. Both perfect examples of transparency, honesty and good management,. This is just what the country needs. Who else has such credentials? who if not Imran Khan?. Give us a better alternate and we make rethink, Merely pulling down a man who has dedicated himself to a noble cause is outright sin!
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The youth of Pakistan will vote for Imran Khan.Recommend
Fair enough. To all those that are questioning his policies are fairy tales…. Imagine an Imran Khan that just retired from Cricket… and set out to build a cancer hospital. Everyone thought that was impossible… and look at how good that is. You need to dream big… and you need a key quality that is probably the most powerful thing in this world. That quality is self belief. I have no doubt that if this guy gets a fair go at the top office, he will make it happen. Nothing is easy and there are no short cuts. But there is nothing more powerful than true grit and self belief… and the guy has plenty of both. His achievements in life are a million times more than many of us can only dream of… Another quality that sets him apart is that sure hes an idealist and a dreamer and a thinker…. but hes also a ‘doer’. A rare gem for this god forsaken nation. I hope they realize how much they need him.
I wish him the best of luck and rate him in the same category as Quaid e Azam. Someone that has the potential to change the course of history for this nation.Recommend
@ Georgre. Its a good critical analysis though I am a big supporter of Imran Khan.
But could you please mention who is in Pakistan carries such a true idealism and sincerity but Imran Khan.Recommend
@Paki:
As per Imran Khan, PTI will clean sweep the upcoming elections. Who needs coalition? Now, okay that sounds a bit too good to be true but time will tell.
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“This is not a party of intellectuals or political heavyweights. It’s a party of yes-men, doing the bidding of their chairman.”
I’d vote for a party where members are “yes-ing” to an honest, hard-working manRecommend
A Good! Realistic Piece of Writing!
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@Karim:
Its your fallacy.. we have made it the only choice… you have options but you dont want to exercise it.
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Every good measure to be taken by him ( Imran khan ) to save his country appear impossible to you , this suggests that we should let polititians destroy what is left of Pakistan ???
Never !!!
M.A Jinnah was the one , and Imran khan is the second one….no doubt about that.
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