Doubts are cast on the many MNAs still enjoying the perks of a position they claim to have relinquished. After Khan cited the example of the South Korean president, who resigned following the boat catastrophe about a million times over from the pulpit of the container, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) chief minister continues to retain his position even after children were massacred under his watch. The lack of organisation in the party is appalling. No one wants to do the spadework. Hierarchies have to be established and adhered to even if it means skipping the glory of the moment and having a story to tell about how ‘I was standing inches away from the Kaptaan’. Also, there’s the strange simultaneous PTI dilemma of overdoing and understating. Many innovative developments in K-P have gone unnoticed and unannounced when in this day of media hype the smallest achievements require broadcast and proclamation or the opposition will bury the news conveniently and quickly.
From all accounts, we hear Khan is a rational man who listens to reason. But it seems he has no one to listen to. He is a spontaneous man with no wiles and shoots from the hip. It is one of the most alluring aspects of his personality and draws millions to his side because he is immediately believable. His honesty, scrupulousness and sense of fair play are evident in every word and deed. When he goes to condole with families or with the injured, the events are not photo ops for him. He comes away genuinely moved, with tears in his eyes and an aching heart. But the downside to his frank openness is that he ends up saying too much too often with too little thought. He must remember that every word he says publicly goes on record and may come back to haunt him. All the wild helium balloons of hope that Khan let fly into the air during the 126 days of the dharna are now clogging the gutters of Islamabad. Dashed hopes, unrealised dreams and not a plan in sight for tomorrow. Is it all over?
To make matters worse, the timing for his wedding couldn’t have been worse and has spread a pall of gloom over many followers. The journalist Rauf Klasra stated that in smaller villages when someone dies no one marries for the next six months and if there was a predetermined wedding, special permission is required from the family of the deceased. This is not an Islamic requirement but a tradition in some parts of the country. To rub salt on the wounds of insensitivity, Khan declared at the Workers Convention on January 18 with a flourish that tabdeeli had come to his house, a crass unnecessary allusion to his marriage. It would be sad to consider that amongst all the millions who adore this man, he doesn’t have a single well-wisher who has his ear; who would have the gall to tell him to keep quiet when necessary. Who, if any, is the voice of caution? Don’t over-promise, Khan. Let’s wait before you over-commit. State the facts only; they’re enough to indict the perpetrators. It’s time to back off. It’s time to oust the bad eggs in the party no matter how loyal they’ve been to you. And no, as much as you may disbelieve this, marrying Ms Khan was not the happiest moment in the lives of PTI workers. In fact, the less they hear about it, the better for now. A low profile is the best way forward and hopefully people will come around. It is said you are a lucky person if you have a sensible but incisive critic close to you who has your best interests at heart and doesn’t mince their words. Khan sahib, find one.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 4th, 2015.
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COMMENTS (22)
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Very shallow article.
A well written article with excellent analysis!
Dear author, plz don't worry as your suggestion to IK of finding a sensible but incisive critic who has IK's best interests at heart and doesn’t mince his/her words has already been adhered by the great Khan in the form of Mr. "Shaikh Rasheed"
Well written article. I think his marriage is the biggest mistake and misstep he could take. Wrong time, wrong choice. Time will tell, but it does't look good.
Well clearly power doesn't suit everyone. After all why do we forget, besides IK (who himself supported the Dictator and later withdrew after his demands for power were not met), PTI's 1st & 2nd Tier leadership belongs to the same power corridor of 2% Elite, who have changed atleast 2-3 parties to satisfy there power thirst. The result was inevitable. Shame on those who fell for it
Great article articulating the aftermath of 126 days Dharna principally by thousands and thousands of supporters who traversed great distance by their physical presence and millions and millions who watched this intently thousands of miles away. PTI needs to regroup and improve performance. This is the time PTI leadership to evaluate its many decisions they have taken in the Dharna and how to make it better in the future. The Core Committee should not be a body that rubber stamps but one that provide wise counsel. The party need to be more professional and less individual's whim. The Kaptaan should select its team not only on seniority but on merit alone. Babar Awan is a good addition in this regard. The future of PTI looks good if they clear the mess now.
@azmat: Asad Umar PTI ..... Isn't this the guy of the Rs 3 billion fertilizer price fixing scandal?
Nice....but you could have been harder on the party and on Imran Khan........they have been a let down but still out in the cold, simply because the other two Nawaz and Zardari are abysmally bad.
@Luqman Hafeez: are you naive, come to your senses, plz any rational talk, "sell his MPAs", "major culprit" what are these nothing just in extreme love of hate
It was an effort in vain to sweeten the gist of the article by including "transition" in the headline. "PTI lost" could have been adequate to sum up the essence of the writeup. After compiling the charge-sheet, I wonder why the writer stopped just short of telling us as to how wonderful the world would have been without Imran Khan. From being the main culprit of APS tragedy to being responsible for getting his MPAs to sell their votes for Senate elections, the writer covered his target beautifully. At the end, I feel I just finished reading Ata-ul-Haq Qasmi in English!
@tariq: what should be looked into, still they have not looted the country, i am not pti troll
@K.E. Janjua: Asad Umar is a million times better and more knowledgeable then any of the economic gurus sitting in Nalaiq League. If a Munshi (chartered accountant - Ishaq Dar) can dupe you in to believing that he is actually an economist then God help us Similarly JT is a glaring example of a self made industrialist who has a better understanding of how the corporate world works - certainly better then Noora leagures
@raider:May be I like him and want to see him succeed that's why I am irritated when I see his short comings.This write up is on PTI why should I comment on NS or AAZ. May be I am not interested in them or have lost hope in them.Yes, I agree his cricket and charity work is appreciable but here we are discussing his politics not his cricket career or charity work.I am irritated wen I see Sheikh Rasheed and some others around him who are highly negative and non constructive.
I would say only one sentence for IK Look before you leap. PTI trolls????????
There was one such PTI man who was ferocious critic of Imran khan inside his party.His name was Saad Abdullah ,Ex secretary,After reading his articles on internal PTI policy ,I am amazed how this man is not present in the top hierarchy of the party.Now I am told that he resigned after developing differences during Intra-party election.
@F Khan: first tell whom you refer to be around him, present arguments that he should not level charges on others and should stay in same precedent and still peoples will not consider him same lot as prevailing currently, have you advised all this to other political rivals in your life ever, is there person which consider him not a practical man, take him from his cricket days to shoukat khanum and numal, you peoples always criticize him as executive, first get him and his party elect as majority party and then talk about any performance, everybody know real Govt is considered at federal, Punjab and little bit Sindh not kpk and Baluchistan where state writ has always been scanty
Khan Sb has some serious problems.First, he has all the wrong people around him.Second, he lives in a illusionary world which is evident from his examples of Korea, China, Japan and Malaysia.This is Pakistan and he has to be realistic, pragmatic and practical.Third, he talks first and thinks later and that is why he has to take U-turns.Fourth, he has all the wrong people around him.Fifth, he does his politics on hate and predetermined conclusions. Sixth, he changes position 180 degrees in 180 seconds. In politics this is suicidal. Seventh, he needs to learn what not to speak before he learns what to speak.Eighth,he should stop labeling charges on others and talk about what he whats to do. Ninth, He should concentrate on kpk performance and immediately stop this dharna politics. Tenth, Even if he does all the nine I mentioned I will still not vote for him until he is loud & clear that he not a taliban sympathizer.
@Saim Chaudhary:
Well said. Plus, the PTI could do with a more effective economic team. Asad Umar and Tarin have no clue of what economic policy is all about. The invariably come out representing the corporate sector rather than the teeming millions and the PTI workers.
Ms Rizvi
i wish you had asked for the general to resign who was in charge of Peshawar cantonment area...All those who live in cantonment area know very well that no civilian authority has anything to do in cantonment area. All civilians need a Visa on arrival to enter. May be you do little research next time.
The writer does not know PTI and probably only follows the Facebook/twitter pages of both Arif Alvi and Asad Umer. Arif Alvi and Asad Umer are the last people to be doing any sort of constructive work on the ground. Please go talk to the workers of PTI.
Well written and highlighting some of the many u turns of the Kaptaan. Unfortunately it is the PTI that suffers as people have started to ridicule it.