KARACHI:
In civilised societies, resignation serves as a token of the supremacy of democracy, which is something Imran Khan failed to recognise. Historically, around the world, many leaders have resigned from their positions to win the hearts of the people and ultimately succeeded in re-elections. Imran Khan is undeniably a strong player in the opposition with his boldness and his ability to garner popular support. In the past, his constant emphasis on corruption encouraged his opponents to improve governance in their respective provinces.
Unfortunately, however, he failed to address the country’s myriad issues during his tenure. When he was in office, he was surrounded by sycophants and cronies who damaged his reputation with their poor advice. They changed the dynamics of the PTI by bringing in a culture of abuse and disrespect that misrepresented the government as impatient and cowardly. Now that Imran Khan is out of power, he does not have much to offer to the people to convince them to vote for him in the next general election besides his narrative of an American conspiracy, turncoat politicians and media propaganda.
In 2018, many voted for Khan after seeing the successes of his provincial government in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and his criticism of dynastic politics. However, he failed to deliver large-scale reforms to facilitate the people and improve the economic conditions. Although he introduced the Sehat card and Ehsaas programme, many have become disillusioned with his leadership style. To succeed in the next elections, Khan has already mobilised the youth through his nationalist speeches and rhetoric. This is becoming apparent through the influx of ferocious, sharp-witted, and provocative content on social media. At present, all we can do is sit back and enjoy the social media content and his large jalsas. Only time will reveal how successful Khan will be through his new strategy.
Ashfak Siyal
Karachi
Published in The Express Tribune, April 17th, 2022.
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