A different kind of ‘change’
While PTI’s members continue to remain responsive to the press; arranging a meeting with Khan is not an easy task...
KARACHI:
Getting hold of Imran Khan wasn’t too much of a task prior to the PTI chairman’s advent on the political stage at the Minar-i-Pakistan rally in Lahore. Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) members were easily approachable on their personal cell phones or via e-mail and after the right amount of SMS’, a short rendezvous or a quote from the former cricketing legend was, more often than not, a given.
But it seems, now, that Imran’s promised “change” has arrived a little too early for some. While PTI’s members continue to remain responsive to the press; arranging a meeting with Imran is slightly more taxing now.
For instance, unlike previous engagements with the PTI chairman, the man is now heavily guarded by armed men. Moreover, now that Imran has successfully recruited some big guns from the political sphere, such as Shah Mehmood Qureshi, he is always flanked by his entourage during meetings with the press.
Unless you’ve caught him on a good day or vice versa, Imran seems almost lost in his own world, almost uninterested. He prefers to let other members of the party tackle the media’s questions, for instance, the party’s strategy for Sindh. Imran seemed dismissive of most of the questions directed at him, even when he was asked if Marvi Memon was going to join PTI ranks soon, he seemed indifferent, but informed that she had been invited to the rally on December 25.
Nevertheless, Imran’s preoccupation is perhaps a by-product of how serious a player he has become in Pakistan’s political sphere and the race to grab a piece of the pie in next year’s elections. When asked about the government’s current predicaments and actions, Imran became reinvigorated and snapped back into his usual self with scathing attacks on Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s criticism of the armed forces.
“What will the world think? Imran said, almost in disbelief that Gilani could have even uttered such statements in the assembly.
However, the evident change in Imran, for the media and all alike, is the clout he has now, than when he was last in Karachi. Even next to a seasoned politician like Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Imran looked impressive and his body language exuded the confidence he had inherited from his Lahore rally.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 24th, 2011.
Getting hold of Imran Khan wasn’t too much of a task prior to the PTI chairman’s advent on the political stage at the Minar-i-Pakistan rally in Lahore. Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) members were easily approachable on their personal cell phones or via e-mail and after the right amount of SMS’, a short rendezvous or a quote from the former cricketing legend was, more often than not, a given.
But it seems, now, that Imran’s promised “change” has arrived a little too early for some. While PTI’s members continue to remain responsive to the press; arranging a meeting with Imran is slightly more taxing now.
For instance, unlike previous engagements with the PTI chairman, the man is now heavily guarded by armed men. Moreover, now that Imran has successfully recruited some big guns from the political sphere, such as Shah Mehmood Qureshi, he is always flanked by his entourage during meetings with the press.
Unless you’ve caught him on a good day or vice versa, Imran seems almost lost in his own world, almost uninterested. He prefers to let other members of the party tackle the media’s questions, for instance, the party’s strategy for Sindh. Imran seemed dismissive of most of the questions directed at him, even when he was asked if Marvi Memon was going to join PTI ranks soon, he seemed indifferent, but informed that she had been invited to the rally on December 25.
Nevertheless, Imran’s preoccupation is perhaps a by-product of how serious a player he has become in Pakistan’s political sphere and the race to grab a piece of the pie in next year’s elections. When asked about the government’s current predicaments and actions, Imran became reinvigorated and snapped back into his usual self with scathing attacks on Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani’s criticism of the armed forces.
“What will the world think? Imran said, almost in disbelief that Gilani could have even uttered such statements in the assembly.
However, the evident change in Imran, for the media and all alike, is the clout he has now, than when he was last in Karachi. Even next to a seasoned politician like Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Imran looked impressive and his body language exuded the confidence he had inherited from his Lahore rally.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 24th, 2011.