Imran Khan: Pakistan’s Next PM?

In response to Wasiq (Replies #12 and #18):

Wasiq has made some very good comments and observations which need our serious attention.

Wasiq`s statement:

``Leadership in this world requires thought, intelligence, experience with international affairs, knowledge about law, an understanding of history and society.``

My comment:

An extremely important statement. Leaders of Pakistan (present and future) listen to Wasiq. He is talking sense.

Wasiq`s statement:

``Pakistan has a lot of good people who are genuinely talented and deserve to be leaders. They probably do not volunteer their services because of the vermin that infests our political landscape.

My comment:

I tend to agree, but how could they become leaders if they don`t come forward and show that leadership qualities? And, their lack of action due to ``the vermin that infests our political landscape`` clearly shows (at least to me) that they lack dedication and leadership qualities. However, if they cannot come forward due to the monetary factor, they can provide leadership at least through their writings. Pakistani press is currently reasonably free.

Wasiq`s comment:

Pakistani people have the intelligence to discern qualified candidates, it is high time we did so.``

My comment:

Which Pakistani people? Urban or Rural? Educated or illiterate? Rich or poor? . . . . Can you substantiate your statement with reasonable evidence?

Wasiq`s statement:

``What is required is intelligence, vision, experience and a head that is screwed on straight.``

Comment:

A good statement. Can you identify a few individuals who closely fit this description?

One final question:

What are your views concerning: (1) the decentralization of government power and responsibilities, and (2) the reform of state apparatus?

Everyone deserves a chance to prove him/herself.

Be it Imran Khan or the beggar man on the side of the road. We`re all human. No one is perfect.

Re: Wasiq...just curious...but who in Pakistan has the intelligence to discern between politicians if they re-elected Benazir-who went of CBS and told Dan Rather ``Pakistan should be made a terrorist state`` when NS was in power (the 1st time around)...the people are pawns in awe of these polititcians they have nothing to do, but sit around on their charpai`s and talk about this BS. There is no-one else who has the financial backing and the HEART to do what is right instead of trying to only increase thier personal gain...if there is one such person with such tremendous name recognition...name him/her...

In response to Wasiq (Reply #22):

Dear Wasiq: You indeed are a clear thinker. We need a lot more people like you. Pakistani people must come forward and fulfill their responsibilities as good and responsible citizens of Pakistan. One important responsibility of a citizen is to keep a check on his/her leaders. Only withdrawing support is, in my view, insufficient.

Your thought experiment is interesting. Identifying the traits of a leader is very important. In reality, however, we need to accept the leaders with some of their weaknesses. Electoral politics is an expensive game. I don`t foresee the elimination of the rich and powerful from the political scene (at least in the liberal democracies). In order to bring some sort of positive change, we need to provide a strong and uninterrupted critique of our old stock and make something out of both old and new. We also need to realize our citizenship and human rights and struggle for them in as peaceful manner as possible. We must impress upon our unscrupulous and unresponsive ruling elite that they mend their ways and work for a better future for our (and their) coming generations. To me, this seems to be a viable and wiser course of action.

Best wishes, Bilal Ahmad

Re Wasiq:

Your views seem quite idealistic. Obviously, the best solution is to search the length and breadth of Pakistan to find the best political leader for the country. But, who is to say that person will have the will power to come to the front, and get involved in the political process. And will that person be able to win?

One must be practical , and select from what is available, rather than wish for a miracle. Of the political leaders who are available, Imran Khan seems the most honest. If you have any other names, please let us know. Again, please keep in mind these people should be willing to go through the political process.

re: rkhan # 8

FYI, Winston Churchill never attended college. After Harrow, he was admited to Sandhurst, where his poor grades kept him from joining the infantry and he was forced to join the cavalry and ended up with the Fourth Hussars in India. He may have smoked opium, in India may be, but never in college!

As to Hilter, he never touched a drop of alcohol in his life, including beer.

Wasiq:

Always a pleasure to hear from you. Getting away from seven men and a straw, under the present conditions, not even Muhammed, pbuh, can singlehandedly guide Pakistan out of the murky waters. Even he needed dedicated and sincere core of friends and comrades to pull his miracle. I agree it is wishful thinking on our part to EVEN wish or think any one individual can pull us out of the woods.

regards,

Ferozk # 28

Thanks for pointing out the incorrectness of my message. I always appreciate constructive critism on myself.

As for Hitler I had read so as well. But recently found something on the net telling me about the occasional beer. I will lookup the URL and let you know. But it might be incorrect too.

Thanks again

A little point people ,...do any of you know

who Nawabzada Mohsin Ali is ?..or retd Gen mujib ur Rehman ?..

..take a look at the firsts political life ..if you get a chance

the 2nd was Zia ul Haq`s Information spin Doctor ..he was diff from Mushahid Hussain in the sense that he closed newspapers or censored the ones he didnt like ..

Both of them are in Tehrik e insaf ..

anyone know Nasim Zehra and Owais Ghani ..both of em left Tehrik e Insaf in protest at who was joining it ...

I leave you to make your own deductions ..

In response to Wasiq (Reply # 29; first part):

A good response, good thinking.

Your statement: ``When people really want to change their lives, they do it themselves, and have a leader who is symbolic of their desires. It goes both ways I think, people to leaders and leaders to people.``

My response: Ideally, I have no difficulty with these statements. However, in Pakistani polity, leaders have often been imposed from the top. Leadership needs to evolve organically from the people. Why effective grassroots movements, if really any, have failed to produce good leaders? A major part of this problem, I think, is too much centralization of power and too much dependence on the means of violence (coercion; repression) to quell public dissent and resistence. The people of Pakistan are generally scared to start any grassroots movement. The history of MQM provides some good insights about the state-civil society relationship in the ``real`` Pakistan

Your question: ``How to make people desire for something other than the gutter? ``

My response: The common people in Pakistan need to be educated by individuals like you and me through the dissemination of good ideas. We also need to think and rethink about our views and opinions. One right step would be to keep on writing (and speaking to people) to the best of our abilities. Make people think slowly and gradually. Pakistani people are not used to serious thinking. In this process, we will educate the masses (including ourselves) as well as our so-called leaders. If by ``gutter`` you mean ``the self-imposed leaders,`` a lot of people definitely desire something better but they don`t know how to fulfill their desires. One strategy would be to make them feel that they are living human beings (not animals) who need to recognize and struggle for their rights in the interest of their coming generations (and in the greater interest of Pakistan).

I have published the following letter in the Frontier Post (July 21, 1999; today):

Needed: Visionary Leaders



Malcolm X, a well-known African-American leader, once remarked that: ``You can`t separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom`` (Speech on 7 Jan. 1965, New York City).

A Pakistani of average intelligence would quickly reject Malcolm X`s insight by arguing that: ``We gained freedom some fifty-two years back, yet we lack peace in Pakistan.``

Assuming that both statements are wholly or partially true, we need to look at the root of this contradiction. The problem, in fact, lies in the way we conceptualize freedom. Freedom is a loaded word. One important dimension of freedom is ``the freedom of mind and spirit.`` Are our minds and spirits free or colonized? Is the issue of freedom somehow linked with the question of citizenship and human rights?

In the Western World, there has been a significant enlargement of freedom as a result of the acquisition of various civil, political, and social rights. People acquired these citizenship rights as a result of numerous collective struggles. A case in point is the American Civil Rights Movement. Do we have visionary leaders in Pakistan who have the capacity and willingness to learn from such collective struggles? Do they have the ability to mobilize the citizens of Pakistan to wage an honest, well-conceived, and peaceful struggle for their citizenship rights? If yes, it is high time that they come forward and take concrete steps to win the confidence and support of the common people of Pakistan. As a matter of strategy, they need to first chalk out their ``visions`` in black and white and share them with the people of Pakistan.

Bilal Ahmad

USA

Re: rkhan

This is a tangent to the topic, but Hitler never touched a drop during his reign as the der Fuhrer of the Third Reich. There were, however, certain periods in his life, when he might have resorted to alcohol.

One was, when he a broke art student in Vienna without a future and second could be before his Munich putsch and prior to his jailing and the writing of his Mein Kampf and third could be when he was in love with his niece with whom he had an affair; who because of his total control over her life would later commit suicide. We know that he was really depressed after her death and it was around this time that he started to take sleeping pills, the begining of his addiction to drugs.

I would be really interested in the URL.

rather than merely looking at imran khan, perhaps looking at the other members of the Tehrik-e-Insaaf will give us a better idea on the intentions of Imran Khan. This article should have mentioned those selected by the Khan to join TI. remember, it`s parliamentary system and those elected will elect the leader. obviously IK`s image overshadows all the other`s but still, the other members of TI, so far, have represented what the Khan has been insisting. that is where the chants of support and criticism should be based upon.

Wasiq of course we can discern who is qualified and who isn`t we are educated people. But you are being like a typical politician and only thinking of yourself and the friends in your circle. I am talking about the thousands of uneducated, illetrate, easily influenced masses. Duh!

It is amazing to see how willing people are of accepting the status quo in the Pakistani political scenario. The discussions here seem to indicate that currently Pakistan is in good hands, and unless someone with a proven political record comes along, BB and NS should be allowed to continue with their rotations of occupying the Prime Minister`s office.

The question is not whether Imran Khan is the best option. The question is whether he is a better option than BB and NS. Infact, any honest Pakistani with average intelligence and dedication would be better than the political leadership that is available to Pakistan at the moment. However, very few dedicated people are willing to come out and make an effort at running for a political office. They have everything to lose, and not much to gain. Imran Khan has made that effort.

For those of you who think, Imran Khan should not be the next premier; kindly name the person who should be (someone who has the chance of being elected).

Some question to ponder:

What is corruption? is corruption a myth or reality? Is corruption bad for our country? Why do people become corrupt?

Who is corrupt in Pakistan? Almost everyone or just a few?

Assuming that Imran Khan is not corrupt (based on a general definition), what are his chances of becoming corrupt during his first term in power? How about the second term?

Assuming that he retains his honesty and integrity intact, what are his chances of completing his first term? His second term?

Can someone theorize the process through which Imran Khan (assuming that he is not at all corrupt) would turn into a corrupt leader?

Is it realistically possible that a corrupt leader may transform Pakistan into an economically and politically strong and an essentially corruption-free country? If yes, how?

Good Luck!