The PTI’s swelling ranks

Khan has been forced to modify his position by saying that he cannot find angels in Pakistani politics.

Imran Khan’s rising popularity is swelling his political party’s ranks and received a significant boost on December 19, when 30 politicians announced that they have joined hands with the former captain. These included big names like Jahangir Khan Tareen, Ishaq Khan Khakwani and Jamal and Owais Leghari, two sons of late President Farooq Ahmad Khan Leghari. Supporters of Imran Khan can take comfort from the fact that the PTI’s appeal to the masses, particularly the youth, has forced entrenched politicians to discard their earlier dismissive impressions about Imran Khan’s political fortunes. He is no longer languishing on the political fringes but is emerging as a real political threat to both the PPP and the PML-N. Imran’s latest allies, who ironically call themselves ‘clean politicians’ had earlier been toying with the idea of forming their own political party. Most of them come from influential families of southern Punjab and were part of General Pervez Musharraf’s government. Some would argue that the acceptance of these old faces within the PTI’s folds is hardly the change against the status quo that its chief has been promising in his rallies.

Mr Khan is himself aware of this criticism and has been forced to modify his position by saying that he cannot find angels in Pakistani politics and has to rely on “relatively clean politicians”. In his press conference, Mr Khan said that the time for taking turns in the government has passed. Was Imran humouring himself or his latest political teammates? It is hard to tell but it speaks of the predicament he faces as he treads forward in the political landscape. Having electable, established politicians adds weight to the PTI but, at the same time, taints his message and raises questions about his strategy. Some might start looking at the party with far more scepticism now. Furthermore, the latest additions to the party will also serve to reinforce the perception among many that the country’s establishment is throwing its weight behind Imran Khan. The political bigwigs of southern Punjab are known to be shrewd and calculating politicians, who have the uncanny ability of gauging which way the political wind is blowing. Their pragmatism clashes with Imran’s idealism.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 21^st, 2011.