Riaz Haq Sets Record Straight on Imran Khan

There is an abominable attempt by an unscrupulous ilogger on Chowk to distort my position and statements on Imran Khan.

To set the record straight, here is my past article excerpt and several interacts on Chowk regarding Imran Khan:

Article Ralph Nader Joins 2008 Presidential Race
Riaz Haq February 25, 2008

Ralph Nader reminds me of Imran Khan in Pakistan. Imran Khan is a well-meaning, well-respected, and honest former cricket hero bringing out the issues of democracy, civil society and rule of law, that the mainstream parties do not care about. But the presence of Imran Khan on the Pakistani political scene does offer hope for the future.


#5 Posted by Riaz Haq on April 27, 2009 10:19:27 am

Imran Khan is not alone in being misguided about the Taliban. Though I personally like Imran Khan for all of his philanthropic work that helps many desperately poor and needy Pakistanis, I think he continues to be clueless about what it means to appease the Taliban. If the Taliban do succeed, people like him will be their first victims, given his own background as a westernized person who has engaged many "non-Islamic" acts in his past.

I think he should begin to take his cues from people like Maulana Fazlur Rahman who is clearly worried about the Talibs coming over the Margalla Hills to establish the kind of Shariah that scares even the Maulana. Even JI's Munawwar Hasan is expressing his doubts about Sufi Mohammad's Shariah which considers Pakistan's Chief Justice (of whom Imran is a supporter), Supreme Court and judiciary and electoral process un-Islamic.
Riaz Haq, PakAlumni Worldwide

#240 Posted by Riaz Haq on May 1, 2009 6:09:54 pm
Re: # 236
Saifullah,
I share your positive feelings about Imran. He's a very sincere man with good intentions who is practically helping a lot of very unfortunate Pakistanis and setting a good example of public and social service for others. However, I do have concerns about his judgment and the company he keeps. He needs to understand the consequences of a potential Taliban takeover and balance those against other still imperfect but better alternatives.
Riaz Haq, PakAlumni Worldwide