After Karachi showing, Imran Khan has proven that he is an individual who can draw crowds across Pakistan.
DUBAI: This is with reference to Atika Rehman’s article of December 27 titled “The Pied Piper in Karachi”.
A wise man once said that all politics is local. Till Lahore, Imran Khan was a one-man army with very little hope of becoming a national leader, but all that changed after his most impressive rally in Lahore. Now, after his Karachi showing, he has proven that he is an individual who can draw crowds across Pakistan and that he may well be the man to beat; but what about having candidates who can win local seats? PTI supporters will respond to this by saying “Yes we Khan”, but the fact of the matter is that that will not get them votes. In Pakistan, votes are gained by candidates on the basis of the biradari system, a candidate’s ethnicity, cast, sect and the loyalty he commands among the local electorate. All other political parties understand local politics and hence their compromises with unsavoury elements.
Given the people it has accepted into its fold of late, the PTI seems to be no different and appears to be on the same trajectory. Of course, the election scene is now going to heat up and we may see other political parties doing what they can to protect their seats.
Arif Qadri
Published in The Express Tribune, December 28th, 2011.
