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Charismatic personality, but that's about it. (Photo: Dawn.com) |
I am supposed to be doing my consumer behavior project right now, but instead, I’m much busy (and actually interested) in writing this post. I was reading an op-ed by Mehreen Khan on Tribune.com.pk in which she has quite clearly stated why Imran Khan would’ve been much better off had he stuck to philanthropy alone.
Granted Mehreen was a bit biased in this article, with the personal life bit about Imran Khan and all, but I do feel she has hammered her point home. She is absolutely right in describing Imran Khan as a words only man. Even though he clamors for democracy, his own party has never produced a man worthy of mention. And then there is his perpetual love for the Taliban, and insistent hate for the US. While those are personal matters and he is entitled to feel what he feels, on a national level he ought to show a bit more grit and character and come up with solutions instead of vitriolic statements. Also, the man needs to use his brain rather than his heart while making political statements, particularly where foreign policy is concerned.
The only problem that I have with Imran Khan, as I've mentioned earlier, is that he is too emotional to be a politician. But I guess there really is no harm in giving him a chance as well provided he leaves the confrontational approach vis-à-vis the US. After all, it is the only country standing alongside Pakistan right now, feeding our monstrous appetite for its dollars and appears to be genuinely concerned about the plight of the Pakistani nation (the constant call to adhere to democracy) at the hands of the ensanguine rulers of Pakistan.
Now most of you will gather the idea that I am an American loving old fool but then, you’d be wrong for two reasons. The first being that I’m not old, and the second that I only love Pakistan and my views regarding the relationship Pakistan ought to have with the US is subject to change whenever it suits our national and vested interests. Right now, we depend on the US to virtually run our economy for us, we depend on it for aid and other basic amenities of life, we depend on it for technology and F – 16s, and I can go on and on but I think you get the point. So how can a person like Imran Khan stand up to say that the Taliban are right and the US is wrong?
That maybe the truth (not in my opinion) but in the causality of events pertaining to the war on terror, it kind of screws all our interests. Imran Khan needs to come up with an original policy instead of jumping on the bandwagon that keeps coming up with pointless, meaningless and utterly useless rhetoric. Bashing the United States might get him a plethora of hypocritical supporters but will that get him into a position of power? I think not. This is where Musharraf comes in and takes the plate from Imran Khan, for even though he was a dictator, he at least had a vision. Sadly, Imran Khan appears to be following in the steps of the now defunct MMA alliance that churned out the most ignominious policy statements that the Pakistanis have ever seen or heard.
I have a mountain of other things that I would like to say but sadly, I have other more important things to do right now than ramble on about Imran Khan. The man was a true cricketing genius and if he really wants to do something for Pakistan, he ought to become Chairman PCB and fix that. He’ll have my vote then.
