Captain Elite

CHANTILLY, VA, US: This is with reference to Saroop Ijaz’s article on Imran Khan titled “Captain Elite” (August 9). I share the writer’s analysis. Pakistan is not the place for an ‘experiment’ and, quite frankly, it is running out of time.

I can only speak of the PTI’s so-called economic agenda. Apart from bringing back ‘looted’ wealth, I believe that Imran Khan has said that he will cure the country of corruption in the first 100 days in office — though he doesn’t say how. The rest of his economic platform comprises of hatred for western institutions including the IMF and the World Bank. Such a stand has all the makings of a disaster because it is fanciful and naive. And this is not because I think that Pakistan cannot get back its looted wealth or that it cannot do without recourse to the IMF to bail it out. Many developing countries have managed to do both.

But the kaptaan had better know the full implications of what he is talking about, especially with regard to Pakistan’s non-tax-paying freeloaders — the elite. They are not about to give in so easily. They would rather move to Canada than pay their taxes here.

At the end of the day, let’s face the stark fact that if the powers that run this country want it, they will make sure he wins, or at least earns a significant place in parliament. In the meantime, kaptaan can make all the statements he wants.

Meekal Ahmed

Published in The Express Tribune, August 10^th, 2011.