Imran Khan's band of merry men

The latest ‘it’ crowd in Pakistan are the Immy K revolutionaries - worshipping their politically irrelevant...

S M May 24, 2011
These days, the latest ‘it’ crowd in Pakistan are the Immy K revolutionaries. For those of you who do not know, these are pseudo-intellectuals who think they can help Imran Khan bring about an inqilaab (revolution) which will lead to khudmukhtaari (autonomy) and freedom from the West, just by standing on a road for a few hours, or even better, by liking a page on Facebook. I hate to break it to all who belong to this crowd, but quite frankly, you all are deluded.

Before I go further, I must admit that I have a huge amount of respect for Imran Khan as a cricketer and a philanthropist. But -- how can any sane person think that Imran Khan should be the prime minister?

Now I hate our current government and the ones which preceded it, but I am sure there must be some better alternative than to get behind Imran Khan. He is yet to hold any position of notable power and his party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), is a joke.

Fifteen years and not more than one seat in the parliament and somehow people actually think that he will be successful in the elections?

According to Mr Khan, the United States of America (USA) is the root of all our problems and if we get rid of its interference, we can get rid of the vices in our society. I am sorry to say this, but Imran Khan is living in denial. It is said that:
Kisi aur ko kuch kehne se pehle apne girebaan mein jhaanko

(Before blaming anyone else, take a look at yourself).

The US may be responsible for some of our problems but the truth is that the responsibility for Pakistan’s stagnation lies with its own people.

Have you ever considered that after Pakistan’s formation, it was our very own government which ignored the Soviet Union’s extended hand, just so they could strengthen ties with the US?

Or, that it was our own army and intelligence agency which helped create the Taliban who are now a cancer which we can’t eliminate?

Or, what would we be doing without the US’s financial and military aid?

Besides, you cannot blame a foreign power for all the corruption, nepotism, crime and other atrocities taking place in our society.

Mr Khan may complain all he wants about the drone attacks, but who are we to stop them if we aren’t even competent enough to eliminate extremists ourselves, as shown by the fact that we couldn’t catch the world’s most wanted man even though he was living less than a mile away from our army academy.

The PTI also protested vehemently for the release of Aafia Siddiqui who, by many accounts, was indeed a terrorist. But no reaction came from Khan when Mukhtaran Mai’s rapists were released without major punishment.

Also, Mr Khan has claimed that that many of Taliban’s atrocities have been exaggerated and it is the US and our government who are spreading false propaganda. Now, I don't like either the US or our government but both of them are lesser evils compared to the Taliban.

The funny thing about all this is that people actually believe him. Whether it’s from listening to Zaid Hamid’s conspiracies or from watching propagandist documentaries like The Arrivals, a large section of our youth believes that the whole world is conspiring against innocent Pakistani Muslims who are incapable of hurting a fly.

Mr Khan’s political U-turns are also well documented. From supporting General Musharraf’s military coup to then bashing him, to calling Nawaz Sharif a “fascist” and then joining forces with him to overthrow Musharraf.

I know everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I urge my fellow Pakistanis to think realistically, for once, about the future of our country and the person they want to bring in power.
WRITTEN BY:
S M An A'Levels student who believes in the freedom of expression.
The views expressed by the writer and the reader comments do not necassarily reflect the views and policies of the Express Tribune.

COMMENTS (277)

Sara | 12 years ago | Reply Get real people! We are no one to blame America. Think for the tough times when America provided us when we were dying with natural disasters. We owe America our lives. And Imran Khan is and was a loser who couldn't be faithful with even one decent woman how would he be faithful with our nation!!! The writer is absolutely right. Thumbs up for you man. I'm always with Pervez Musharraf and always will be!!!
r | 12 years ago | Reply for all those who oppose IK as our leader,wake up ppl wt odr alternative do v have?
VIEW MORE COMMENTS
Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ