Imran Khan: a man of status quo

Aamir Liaquat Hussain may be a household name but that doesn’t mean he can be a good advertisement for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). Yet Imran Khan took the risk. He has not only welcomed the controversial figure, to say the least, but also justified his decision. The fallout of his decision, however, was inevitable, as there is disquiet in the PTI. Salman Ahmed, the famous singer, ended his 35-year-long association with Imran. His other followers are also struggling to defend the induction of Aamir Liaquat into the PTI. The resentment is understandable because the cricketer-turned-politician captured the imagination of those who were fed up with the status quo, the present system where politics revolves around the likes of Sharifs, Bhuttos and of course the security establishment. The logic behind Aamir Liaquat’s induction into the PTI is that his strong following in Karachi could be handy in the upcoming election runs contrary to the ideology Imran has espoused for years. He formed the PTI to fight against the very system where political parties often compromise on principles in order to win elections.

It was because of this reason Imran did not join the traditional political forces like the Pakistan Peoples Party or Pakistan Muslim League when he announced his forays in politics in the late ’90s. In fact, he was once even offered by Nawaz Sharif to join his Muslim League. Imran, however, had other ideas. He wanted to break from the forces of status quo. Because of this approach, he would struggle for 15 years to make his presence felt despite the stardom he enjoyed. It was an uphill task to challenge the traditional political forces, which mastered the art of manipulating the entire system. Such parties one way or the other relied on the unelected powers to fulfill their political ambitions. It was because of this reason that Pakistan could not evolve a credible democratic system. So for Imran the challenge was twofold — one not to follow the traditional politics and the other not to seek help from a third force — to bring about a real change.

But that was perhaps a tall order even for a person like Imran Khan, who because of his conviction and unbelievable resolve brought a cricket World Cup glory to Pakistan in 1992.

In 2011, Imran Khan finally abandoned his long cherished goal of a ‘new Pakistan’ when he finally embraced the same template followed by his political rivals. The mammoth rally he addressed at the Minar-e-Pakistan in October 2011 made him believe that he was a political force to be reckoned with. But what brought him instant results was his policy shift — seeking help from a third force and accepting the politics of electables. After faring poorly in previous elections, his party managed to make serious inroads in May 2013 parliamentary elections. He emerged as the third-largest party in the National Assembly while managed to form a government in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. This was not an ordinary feat for the PTI. Imran Khan, though, was not entirely happy because he thought he would sweep the polls. He never accepted the election results and camped outside parliament for almost four months in 2014 against the alleged election fraud.

Today, Imran Khan is once again all set to give another shot at the prime ministerial slot. To achieve that, he is employing tactics and methods we are all accustomed to for so long in Pakistani politics. Like a typical Pakistani political leader, he now boasts himself to be a man of principle but in reality does exactly the opposite. Aamir Liaquat’s example is a testimony to the fact that Imran represents the very forces of status quo he once vowed to take them on.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 26^th, 2018.

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