Imran on fair elections

ISLAMABAD: I am no fan of Imran Khan but I cannot help but agree with him when he argues that fair elections cannot be held while President Asif Ali Zardari remains on top of the pyramid of power. The last five years testify that President Zardari cannot be trusted. He makes and breaks promises whenever it suits him.

However, the problem with Khan is that he knows the ill that is plaguing the country but does not know the solution to cure this ill. He should have contacted other opposition politicians to gather support for his position on President Zardari. Khan’s tsunami has divided the nation instead of putting democratic forces on the same page. It may be too late for Khan to bridge the gap between him and other mainstream opposition parties now, thanks to his ludicrous mantra of nura kushti between the PPP and the PML- N.

President Zardari, on the other hand, is a master of distraction and diversion. Since 2008, the nation has remained embroiled in non-issues propped up by the present regime. Such a regime cannot be defeated without the whole nation uniting against it. That kind of unity is not visible on the political horizons of Pakistan. Does Khan understand the ugly reality of the situation? I doubt that he does.

BA Malik

Published in The Express Tribune, January 29^th, 2013.