Will Imran Khan succeed in juggling a bevy of heavyweights who are diametrically opposed to him and to each other?

Spats, brawls, scuffles, tiffs and quibbles: call them what you want but 2011 was full of confrontations and Newsline recaps the biggest face-offs of 2011.

Raza Habib Raja

Imran Khan has been generating a lot of buzz lately and consequently a lot has been written about him in the print media and covered in the electronic media. And add to it the social media, where Imran dominates more than anyone else.

Completely in line with our emotional character, the rise of Imran Khan has been accompanied with a strange type of polarization where at one end he is hailed as a Messiah and on the other end he is being called a Taliban Khan, an Establishment tout or someone who is completely naïve.

I have seen extraordinary reverence of Imran by some of his internet “jiyalas” who refuse to listen to any criticism on Imran. They get defensive, emotional and even abusive when someone points or even raises a question. Of course not every one of his supporters is like that.

The fact Mr Khan has no real plan somehow or the other does not matter to his hero worshipping supporters. The fact, that Mr Khan has dubious links with the military and intelligence apparatus also does not matter. The fact that Mr. Khan projects misplaced hyper patriotism  and the fact that Mr. Khan has filled his party with all turncoats also does not matter. Above all the fact that a party is much more than a single chrismatic individual also does not matter. The ardent supporters of PTI will give a justification no matter how unconvincing it is. And yes they know how to abuse and a huge majority of them are expert trolls!!!

Now while the overzealous reactions of the PTI “jiyalas” do provide amusing and at times even  laughable sights, with due apologies some (not all) of his critics also do not lag behind. Just calling someone as Taliban Khan, or totally dishonest or a complete establishment tout without giving credible evidence is hardly convincing. Likewise calling all the supporters of Imran Khan, many of which are highly educated and even moderate people also, as completely impressionable reactionaries and then expecting them to change their mind about Imran is plain stupidity.

Political realities exist in the shades of grey. These are not in black or white and this fact has to be remembered by both the ardent supporters of Imran as well as his fierce critics.

Now there are many diehard supporters of Imran who have made their decision and no matter what, will not waiver. However, a substantial number of people who view him favourably still can change their minds.

My advice for those who think that Imran’s rise needs to be checked because he is a reactionary is that they should try to be credible in their claims. Yes, their arguments will not be heeded by diehard emotional Imran’s fans but a substantial majority has only recently started to look at him in favourable light and will listen to their arguments provided they make credible criticism.

Right now critics are calling him Taliban Khan and expect his supporters to listen to this allegation. The huge problem with this is that while Imran has given apologetic defense to Taliban monsters but has never clearly endorsed their suicide bombings. Yes, the right way to argue is that this kind of appeasement is wrong as an approach to dealing with militancy but blatantly calling him Taliban khan is frankly stretching it too much. And by the way apparently Taliban even denounced him when he called himself a “liberal”. However, the statement given by the TTP denouncing Imran was simply ignored by his critics who want to stick to their black and white appraisal of Imran.

Second is the allegation of using Islam for political mileage. Well here the problem is multifaceted.  First the majority of Pakistanis like references to Islam and considers it a part of their identity. Now I may not like this fact but this is a reality. Second and more importantly almost all the parties (barring very small fringe parties like Pakistan Communist Party or
some regional parties), have whipped up religion.   Unfortunately the critics forget that in Pakistan the so called liberal parties were involved in framing of 1973 constitution which made Pakistan an Islamic republic. Worst they were also involved in passing of the second amendment which declared Ahmedis as Non-Muslims. And during all these years, they have done nothing to repeal it. If the critics are equally harsh on these parties only then they can have a credible case against Imran. However, so far I have not seen that and therefore their arguments are further weakened. I personally think that a better criticism would be to highlight the difference in extent to which Imran whips up religion compared to the mainstream parties rather than saying that PTI is nothing but a good looking Jamat-i-Islami!

The argument that PTI is the one man party is a valid criticism but not something which will find acceptance. The major problem with the argument that “If Imran were to die what would happen to PTI and hence it is proven that it is a cult” is that unfortunately all the parties in Pakistan have risen through the same personality driven trajectory and worst still have evolved into family dynasties. On this basis alone you cannot call any party a mere cult. If a Sharif or a Bhutto is bigger than his/her party then what is the point of complaining about Imran being bigger than PTI. Yes you can argue that this makes PTI no different but unfortunately in Pakistan, at least in this aspect, you cannot be different.

Raising questions about PTI manifesto is important and valid but once again why critics have so much urge to ask for PTI manifesto when they know that majority of the party workers of PPP and PML N also don’t know much about the manifestoes of their parties. When you seldom raise this issue with respect to voting pattern of mainstream parties then in some ways it actually appears strange that manifesto assumes so much importance on the pretext of determining the “difference” of PTI. And why now? Why this question was not asked before?

Most importantly the critics have to understand as to what is the real source of Imran’s surge in popularity. It is  not solely because of “establishment”,  or its manipulated electronic media or due to naivety of his supporters (yes some of them are naïve) but because many people are getting sick of the performance of the two mainstream parties. Yes Imran may not be right choice but in despair human beings have the tendency to clutch at any straw of hope. In their eyes since Imran is financially credible so therefore he wont “betray” them. This emotional expectation may be somewhat misplaced but has genuine basis.

Yes I do not support Imran due to his overall ideological orientation but at the same time his rise cannot be checked unless the mainstream parties do some honest soul searching rather than blaming establishment and ISI for everything under the sun. Yes Imran may be propped up by establishment but at the same time people are also getting behind him. Establishment alone cannot fill in huge venues like Minar-e-Pakistan and Mazar-e-Quaid nor can it produce favourable ratings in polls conducted by reputable international polling firms like PEW research.

And lastly be credible and acknowledge his positive statements when you are ready to pounce on his negative ones. If he is apologizing to people of Baluchistan then have a heart and acknowledge it even if it is “hollow”. If his rhetoric is softening (and it is softening) as more people with eclectic ideological orientation come into his party, then kindly acknowledge it.

Criticism looks appealing only when it is credible.

Elections are not scheduled to take place until 2013 but the race for the power seat has already begun.

Sana Bucha’s Lekin is fast turning into an unrelenting bastion of criticism against the PTI just as the programme’s facebook page is becoming an avenue for PTI fans to offload their anger against Lekin’s policy of PTI-bashing. Whoever has set the direction of Lekin and trying to balance Geo’s programmes’ lineup by setting up anti-PTI programmes, neither seems to be aware of the prevailing mood of people on the street or aware of the fact as to how forcefully feedback can fly back to Lekin. 

Sana deserves appreciation for formulating such an unpopular policy or owning it. You need courage to defy the current and swim against it. Journalists are a respected lot and more so a female journalist. It would neither be prudent nor appropriate for PTI fans to make Sana subject to irreverence, even if she asks for it. It needs two to fight and make a mess and we all know how political mess sells on talk shows. PTI fans should understand that they must not drag into any war with any media personnel, as it would only distract them from other goals. It would not make any sense to become a tool to improve anyone’s TRP.  

Sana has constantly been asking PTI leaders about party’s agenda and somehow the formers have been proving incapable of responding to her queries properly.  It shows incomplete homework on part of PTI officials who appear in Lekin.

On the other hand, as the derisive point of having no electables has changed with taunting argument of having electables of disrepute, PTI does not seem to have won itself any reprieve from some of the media pundits. The tones are even more sharper and moods more merciless. Anchorpersons, who want to take their programmes to the next level, sometimes resort to diversify their viewership through different means – hostility and refined rudeness being two of them.

Salim Safi’s special Jirga with Imran Khan on 23rd December is one such programme whose theme was nothing but to denigrate the guest through hurling full questions and allowing half answers. How a programme could be rated whose host seems to have made everything unfairly personal with the guest? There has to be a difference between a TV interview and a criminal investigation.  

Safi wrote a column two days after the interview and complained about derogatory feedback he received on his programme in which he took PTI chairman to task.

Sana Bucha, in her programme on the eve of PTI’s rally in Karachi, observed that crusade against corruption is a single-line agenda of PTI and that PTI did not seem to be having anything concrete on its agenda. What anchorperson did not realize is that this single-point agenda is enough to solve at least half of the issue country is facing today.  If PTI just realizes its promise of eradicating corruption — without doing anything else — it may return to the state national institutions that used to be revenue-earners in recent past. Corruption is not a one-word issue, it’s a bane of our lives.

While derogatory behavior cannot be condoned, Safi and Sana should also look at the issue of the furious reaction they receive, purportedly from PTI fans, from a different angle. Do they also receive such enthusiastic feedback from PPP, PML, MQM, JI, JUI or followers of other political parties? I believe it’s only the PTI lot that chases everyone who ‘badmouths’ against its leader. It shows how deeply, madly and dedicatedly PTI chairman is revered and the passion with which his followers are attached with him, speaks for itself.

Raza Habib Raja

It is often alleged that ISI is supporting him. It may actually be true but ISI is not the only one supporting him. It is alleged that reactionaries support him. Well may be true again but once again they are not the only one. It is said that a segment of urban middleclass with passion for Allama Iqbal’s Islam  supports him. Yes it does but here too, it is not the only one. Imran is now being supported by many in ADDITION to the categories I have just mentioned.

Ladies and Gentlemen, urban middleclass alone cannot fill huge venues and as far as almost all the reports are concerned, the massive rallies were attended by people from all walks of life.

Something else is happening here APART from the alleged ISI support. ISI can arrange logistics, can perhaps pressurize or bribe media, but cannot suddenly create mass scale conversion from all walks of life to Imran Khan’s PTI. Hassan Nisar, who by all accounts is a liberal and very outspoken journalist nailed it right that Imran is like a wild cat after seeing whom the opponents have simply closed their eyes. He also pointed out that while it is true that Imran’s party is a one man show even PPP during its rise was like that. Politics in our part of the world takes the same trajectory. And it is that fact which is most tragic.

And it is the time that we realize and acknowledge it: He has the mass support now. As one of my friends aptly pointed out after the Lahore rally that denial is not a river in Egypt.

YES, HIS MESSAGE AND IDEOLOGICAL ORIENTATION IS NOT RIGHT. Sorry Imran Khan supporters, your leader needs to improve his rhetoric. Yes he panders to  establishment narrative and frankly I do not think whipping Allama Iqbal style of Islam is the right thing to do. But the problem is that this is something which almost all have done at one point or the other.

Yes, it is a one man show and as someone pointed out that if Imran were to die, where would PTI go. All these are valid criticisms  but the problem is that  almost all his alternatives are riddled with the same issue. Imran is a one man show but so are other parties who are reliant on dynasty politics. Dynasty politics is also an improvised form of personal politics.

Yes critics are right when they point out that in reality Imran’s party (since it has invited turncoats)  is no different but then this also begs a question: Why vote for his alternatives then? So the voters are looking at just one factor: Imran’s personality. Yes it is perhaps a very narrow criterion but in their heads they have a justification that if all the parties are the same then the sole difference is perhaps the main leaders. So the comparison in their head  is not between PPP, PML N and PTI but between Zardari, Nawaz and Imran. It is a sorry state of affairs but this is what happens when you blindly follow and promote personalized politics. In Pakistan before Imran’s rise began, this is what the supporters of other parties have been doing: just promoting personality and legacy politics. When you do that, eventually you are yourself preparing the grounds for the rise of people like Imran. If a Sharif or Bhutto is larger than their parties, then why complain if Imran is larger than PTI?

Yes, critics are also right when they talk about Imran’s appeasing attitude towards Taliban but his surge of popularity has not come due to his appeasement towards Taliban. And in recent times even his stance about Taliban is changing as now he has to cater to people from a wider ideological bent.

Due to complex interplay of many factors he is becoming larger than life. For someone who has been called a media construct by a host of journalists ( I am also one of those though technically I cannot be called a journalist), the rise is amazing and this fact is difficult to fathom as it runs completely contrary to our earlier assertions. I have myself called him a political minnow and so have some very famous journalists whom I respect a lot.

We have mocked at him, called him a political minnow, a political nobody and have portrayed him as someone whom only some urban middleclass professionals, right wing zealots and a  few crazy internet trolls could like. Well, all of them still like him but now the support base has increased to include many others.

It is obvious that massive rallies have shocked all the political analysts  and consequently the reaction is understandable: It has to be solely the grand conspiracy of establishment  and its mouth piece, the electronic media.

Yes it is partly true but in my opinion it does not explain all the reality.

Well media is not monolithic and has various channels and so to assume that somehow or the other all the channels have been bought over by the army to prop up Imran is stretching it too much. Yes, it is somewhat pro Imran but then it has been pro Imran for many years now and the reasons are generally commercial because media’s main target market, the urban middleclass likes to watch Imran. However, Imran’s surge in popularity is recent and it is no longer just confined to urban middleclass. This is crucial to understand because we can no longer deny that Imran is popular now. In fact for the past many months all the opinion polls conducted by foreign reputable firms have been indicating Imran’s surge in popularity and that popularity cut across the supporters of all the political parties and various income groups.

Of course, at that time I brushed their findings aside (with mocking comments), but was stunned into believing when I saw the Lahore rally and also various snaps taken by my previously apolitical friends showing not only that the crowd was huge but consisted of people from eclectic backgrounds. And yes the crowds included a lot of women and even children.

And then I know that many people with moderate and even liberal orientation were also there and coming out impressed. The new support base has broadened across ideological spectrum also.

So what are the dynamics here?

Well whether we like to admit it or not the fact is that political parties, particularly PPP and PML N have not delivered. Yes, they may like to blame establishment and army and lament that they do not have any power but then if you have excuses then you should not be asking for people to vote at all. I mean why ask for vote when you also claim that you don’t have any power at all. It is common sense, which unfortunately is not common, that saying that we do not have ANY power and still asking for votes ( with promises that we will deliver) is severely contradictory.

Yes army is a meddling institution and THE worst blood sucker of Pakistan but even then political parties have a substantial domain to operate. And if they had not, then they would have simply ceased to exist. And Imran even if supported by military still has to appeal to the people and will be competing for votes.

The point what I am trying to make is that where BOTH the political parties had the leverage, they failed.

Imran’s surge in popularity is the direct outcome of the perceived failure of BOTH the parties coupled with a general perception that he is sincere and has rendered outstanding services to Pakistan. And let me admit here that he has rendered outstanding services to Pakistan. It is public perception of Imran’s personality in CONTRAST to the worsening public perception of the current political lot, which has primarily resulted in the rise. Of course Imran had a positive repute before also but the perception about PPP and PML N leadership had not worsened to that extent. When a particular threshold was crossed, the mass scale conversions began. Momentum once achieved had dynamics of its own. Once sceptics see huge crowds they are ready to join due to increase in electability. Plus Imran has never been into power, therefore many want to give him a chance.

During these four years, whereas substantial progress has been made on constitutional issues, but economic situation has really deteriorated squeezing people. Disillusionment has grown due to worsening law and order situation and constant political fighting between centre and Punjab. On top of it, the nepotism has worsened and severe violations of merit have taken place. In Karachi, we have seen constant bloodshed while money mafia continues to threaten people and exhort money.

Eventually people get sick. GOVERNANCE IS IMPORTANT. It is not merely a middle class cherished ideal which “liberals” allege is divorced from the “real” concerns of life, nor it is a right wing “abstract” propelled by media. It is something which eventually will be factored in. YES IT WILL BE FACTORED IN and HAS BEEN FACTORED IN.

Yes they are right when they say that establishment has tried to sabotage but at the same time their own incompetency has not helped either.

And add to that their selection of media communicators. I am really sorry to say that when your spokespersons consist of people like Baber Awan, Rehman Malik, Firdous Aashiq Awan, Rana Sana Ullah and Chaudry Nisar Ali Khan then you are merely worsening an already hostile environment.

Which parties in their right frame of mind would employ the services of such people?

And constant references to historic struggles (PPP during Zia and PML N during Musharraf times) have outlived their utility. SORRY once again.

In times of despair, it is natural human tendency to clutch at any glimmer of hope. If people are thinking that Imran is the last hope then for God sake try to do some soul searching as to why situation has reached that extent rather than imagining grand conspiracies everywhere.

And finally, be credible in criticism of Imran and learn to give credit when it is due. If he has apologized to Baluch then have a heart and acknowledge it. If he has mentioned about minorities then once again at least acknowledge it rather than complaining as to why no minority was allowed to speak.

Criticism looks appealing when it is credible.

بسم اللہ الرحمٰن الرحیم

عمران خان

کل ہونے والے تحریک انساف کے جلسے کی چیدہ چیدہ جمع کی ہوئی خبریں ملاحظہ فرمائیں ۔ یاد رہے کہ یہ جلسہ پاکستان کے سب سے بڑے شہر کراچی میں ہوا تھا۔

سب سے پہلی خبر :-

جلسے کے باہر کھڑی ایک گاڑی میں پراسرار انداز سے اچانک آگ بھڑک اٹھی جس پر فائیر برگیڈ کے عملے کو طلب کیا گیا، عملا دیر سے پہنچا لیکن آگ پر قابو پالیا ۔ بعد میں پولیس سے یہ معلوم ہوا کہ یہ گاڑی تحریک انساف بلوچستان کے جوائنٹ سیکریٹری صدیق یوسف کی تھی۔

جلسے میں دیئے جانے والے عمران خان کے قابل غور بیانات :-

کامیابی صرف اللہ دیتا ہے ، عمران خان

میاں نواز شریف نے کہا ہے مجھ سے دس اوور کا کھیل کھیلو میرے ساتھ ، عمران خان

میں میاں صاحب کا یہ چیلنج قبول کرتا ہوں ، عمران خان

میاں صاحب جلدی کریں ایسا نہ ہو پھر کھیلنے کے لیئے ٹیم ہی نہ ملے ، عمران خان

مجھے جاوید ہاشمی کی ایک چیز سب سے زیادہ پسند ہے اور وہ ہے ان کی بہادری ہے ، عمران خان

سردار آصف علی نے فون کر کے کہا کہ میں تحریک انساف میں شامل ہو رہا ہوں ، عمران خان

آج ایک اور وکٹ گرنے والی ہے ، عمران خان

80 فیصد پاکستانی وکیل نہیں کرسکتے ، عمران خان

میری چمچہ گیری سے کسی کو کوئی فائدہ نہیں ہوگا ، عمران خان

تحریک انساف چیف جسٹس افتخار چودھری کے ساتھ ہے ، عمران خان

بڑی بڑی کرپشن ہم 90 دن میں ختم کر کے دکھائیں گے ، عمران خان

اگلا اسٹاپ سونامی کا 23 مارچ کو کوئٹہ ہو گا ، عمران خان

ہم سارا نظام کمپیوٹر کے تحت چلائیں گے ، عمران خان

کمپیوٹر کرپشن نہیں کرسکتا ، عمران خان

تعلیمی نظام کے لیئے پالیسی بنائیں گے ، عمران خان

یہ تھے عمران خان کے قابل غور بیانات۔

Hundreds of student volunteers worked tirelessly in the days leading up to the Karachi jalsa on December 25. Newsline speaks to student leader Arsalan Taj Ghumman to learn more about their efforts.

Newsline’s exclusive photos of Imran Khan from its archives along with recent quotes by the politician.

Peshawar: Pakistani Taliban has slammed PTI chief Imran Khan, terming him a slave of America and Europe. Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan’s spokesman Ahsanullah Farooqui told BBC that liberal was an English word, if Imran Khan considers himself a public leader then he should talk in Urdu which is national language of Pakistan.

He said that Imran Khan often says in his speeches that he was not Taliban’s supporters then ‘we are not in misunderstanding too’.

Khan told BBC in an interview that he was a liberal man and against of Taliban insurgents.

The TTP spokesman while defining a liberal man said that a man who considers himself free from all religions, adding such kind of cannot be preacher of Islam.

He said that he wants to inform PTI chief that he blames that Pakistani politicians were slave of the United States, but “ I want to inform Imran Khan that he is slave of those Americans who are not alive now.”

Meanwhile, PTI provincial spokesperson Zahid Hussain Momand said that his party was against of military operation in the tribal areas of Pakistan. Militancy would automatically be finished if war in the tribal regions stopped, he added.

Source: TheNewsTribe

Comment : One can only hope that some evil satanic mind in establishment is not thinking of exploiting this statement against IK like Benazir. May Allah protect everyone from the evil satanic minds running the country.