Pak Tea House » Pakistan » Imran Khan, Urban Middleclass Morality and its Contradictions
Imran Khan, Urban Middleclass Morality and its Contradictions
This article is critical of Imran Khan’s political orientation and tries to introspect middleclass liking for him. It admits Imran’s virtues as a cricketer and philanthropist but argues that his politics is the wrong medicine for the country. It also tries to examine as to why he has not been able to connect with the masses
By Raza Habib Raja
In Pakistan we, particularly those belonging to relatively more educated and urbanized middleclass, have developed this psyche to find strange solace in other’s miseries and in some rare patches of better times in our history. So when Sialkot lynching occurred, many of us were appalled and shaken to the core and then tried to draw parallels to similar incidences in other countries to bolster our dwindling self esteem. A war of articles started where liberals were described as self loathers and were reminded that such incidences were a norm in other countries. Hence there was no need to worry and be depressed.
And then this scandal broke out and exposed the moral depravity of some of our most talented cricketers on television. Predictably we were first shocked, disgusted and then in an ever familiar way started to look for conspiracy theories to remain in our self created delusional state of denial (and of course link it with corruption of Zardari also!!!). On Express news, actually RAW was cited as the possible culprit ( And their most famous anchor drew parallels to Zardari’s corruption). But deep down we all know that we are actually on a very weak wicket.
Invariably we are also looking towards a rare patch of successful and taintless period of Pakistan cricket much of which was under Imran Khan. Imran is being remembered fondly and as a cricket fan, I can fully understand. Yes those were the days and Pakistan’s cricket team has never been the same after his departure.
The persona of Imran Khan is also in the forefront in flood relief efforts. It is strange that a person who despite being a political minnow commands extraordinary respect in philanthropy. People are willing to entrust him with notes but not with votes.
Sometimes, I really feel disappointed that a person with his education, brilliance as a cricketer and above all his extraordinary services in the field of social work had to take a political direction that I actually have to pray that he never wins.
There is a tendency in the liberal media to lynch Imran Khan (Mr. Nadeem Farooq Paracha it seems has made it a passion of his life) and to some extent it is well deserved also. But let’s not forget that despite his reactionary political orientation, his contributions to Pakistan are enormous. In many ways Imran Khan is Pakistan’s asset and someone who has dedicated his life to this country. And here lies the irony that a squeaky clean person with an impeccable record, if elected, will be the one of the worst nightmares for Pakistan.
Personally Imran is the embodiment of good aspects of upper middle class morality such as professional integrity, fairness and self pride. But politically he embodies whatever is wrong with the same class.
Self respect when projected on the political horizon becomes almost naïve delusional state of denial further reinforced by slogans like “Qaumi Ghairat”. Although Imran has not been the conspiracy theorist but suffers from another somewhat related ailment of coming up with apologetic defense of extremism. Both of these “diseases” (conspiracy theories and apologetic defense) are broadly similar outcomes of immense self delusional pride rooted in ideologically determined identity which makes it difficult to find flaws in one’s own culture and tribe particularly when these are under the critical microscope of the others. The middleclass, particularly the upper segment suffers from a strange twisted envy of the West where it follows western fashions and prefers their luxury goods and lifestyles while being ferociously defensive about its own identity defined in terms of religion and Pakistani nationalism.
In Imran’s case also the western lifestyle fuses with the strange and immense self pride which extends to include the domestic culture and fails to even see some of its blatant shortcomings. In fact the brutal “justice” system of tribal areas is construed as fair and impartial. Taliban despite atrocities openly committed and then claimed by them are given apologetic defense of “reaction” against USA’s atrocities and drone attacks despite killing militants are interpreted as a violation of sovereignty.
This class which is dominant in Media, Corporate Sector, and all the “establishment” institutions is more conscious about its identity defined in terms of religion and Pakistani nationalism and has a stronger ideological fervor. It will ape West in the desire to be more sophisticated and modern and at the same time retaliate when there is some backlash on ideological front and identity. Even the most sophisticated and foreign educated ones belonging to this class write articles like “liberal lynch Mob” and are appropriately labeled as “designer patriots”!!
Other than “National Sovereignty”, corruption becomes another obsessive concern of this class. Real or perceived corruption of the politicians is debated like hell in the drawing rooms ranging from Karachi to Islamabad. Of course Zardari is perceived as a corruption king and all the ills of the society are attributed to him. Imran khan once again voices that “concern” with utmost zeal on the media and is often perceived as the savior of the country by the same media watching middleclass. In fact if elections were held on internet, he would be a straight winner!!! I am categorically mentioning internet because frankly this class seldom bothers to stand up in the queue and actually vote! On social networking sites like Facebook the young and more sophisticated of this class regularly make Imran Khan the Prime Minister.
Imran, more than anyone else, symbolizes the middle and upper middleclass morality, its sophistication and its strange contradictions. And no wonder, he is well liked by the same class. This class is sympathetic towards the plight of the poor but is still yet unable to engage with them. Their attitude is more of patronizing rather than equality and once again Imran more than anyone else embodies it. After all despite doing extraordinary work in the field of philanthropy, the poor are the ones who despite respecting him cannot associate with him politically. Politics, particularly modern politics is strongly intertwined with connection and engagement. Successful politicians, particularly in a nascent democratic culture, have to successfully engage masses. Merely having sympathetic attitude towards masses will perhaps make you a respectable philanthropist but not a successful politician.
Imran and for that matter a large chunk of professionals belonging to the middleclass have to realize that in politics you have to engage and on issues which matter to MAJORITY of the people also. Yes corruption is an issue but is not the sole issue. Yes sovereignty is an issue but once again not that important. And yes, downright condescending attitude smacking of intellectual arrogance towards masses will not endear you to them.
For convincing you have to go mainstream and take your case to the masses. Engage them and that is how a polity changes in democracy. Unfortunately we are not ready for making such engagement and no wonder end up yearning for the military rule again.
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What utter nonsense.
Reza, why dont you just come out of the closet and confess you’re a sucker for the reactionary likes of Immy and so much more.You are in pain, bhai. Come out. You are quite clearly a typical (and I’m hoping beardless) apologist of the many number of good looking reactionaries out there. So live with it. And please, stop explaining your naive rants as ‘political analysis.’ (keep the discourse civic and do not jump to the conclusions before even grasping as to what is written)
@ Yawar
Did you even read the article before getting angry. By no stretch of imagination this aerticle is pro imran. It infact criticizes his political leanings. Kindly read it till the end. And secondly mind your language.
Just read TILL THE END and then start arguing rather than gettign angry like an immature kid
Good article which is critical of Imran Khan and his political leanings. I liked the way author linked it with middleclass mental makeup. I am actually surprised to see mr Yawar’s rather unfair comment above. I think the article was actually critical of imran khan and middleclass. Mr Raza is right to call Mr Yawar an immature kid
@ Imtiaz
Thanks
I think where Yawar has just jumped to conclusions is that I have appreciated Imran Khan as a cricketer and social worker before starting to criticize him politically. I think he did not bother to read till that part and just assumed that since I am being appreciative of Imran as a social worker therefore I must be a “closet” reactionary.
I personally think that this is sheer intellectual bankrupcy that you do not even read the article and start drawing conclusions after reading the first few lines.
Maturity is reflected through the way we pass our judgements. Branding others and that too on flimsy evidence is nothing but immaturity
The analysis this young writer has made can even shame certain people (politician, religious leader of our country) living upto the late end of their lives who fail to be so clear in their heads.
i wud say its spot-on!! I really liked all your recent articles!! keep going with the same zeal!!
Im not as good a writer like you but i think on these very same lines, writings like yours give words to my thoughts!!
your Analysis of Imran Khan is 100%, i like him as a cricketer & as a humanitarian, but he is too confused to be a Leader!!
@ Talha
Thanks a lot for the encouragement….
It is good to see that a majority of the readers have actually read the article to understand that it is CRITICAL of Imran as well as middleclass obession with him.
However objectivity demands that one should give Imran credit for his cricket and social work. Giving credit there does not mean you are a reactionary or that you support him.
I have mentioned it in the article also that it would be a worst nightmare if Imran gets elected.
@Raza Raja
Two points, one serious, one hugely not so.
Welcome to the club!
One of the painful stumbles in seeking to attract more people to a liberal point of view is the stumble at westernisation. Westernisation is emphatically orthogonal to liberalism; some of the worst reactionaries, and more than they, some of the gilded youth, the jeunesse doree of legend, are very well-educated young people, who are more western in their approach than desi. That doesn’t mean that their values are liberal. Far from it. The bulk are hedonists, and exploit the system and their connections within for all that it’s worth; the smaller, but still significant segment is the conservative, one might even call them the retrogressive element.
Imran isn’t alone, you know. Not even in his age-group. I don’t know Pakistan well enough – most of the remarks above were extrapolations from Indian society, with all the distortions that involves – but suspect that many sophisticated socialites and their male equivalents couldn’t care a hang about what happens to Pakistan so long as their life-style is preserved.
The flippant point: have you read Catch 22? Before you have people calling you Raza Raja Raza, take evasive action.
@Vajra
Sir this article was also pasted at facebook and there my lynching has started as the pro Imran lobby actually exists only at facebook…Do visit it
Anyways I am really disappointed in Imran Khan though admire his cricket…..and social work…
He is a taliban apologist and suffers typical twisted envy of the West…
@Raza Raja.
I am a great Imran Khan fan. always wanted him to win election..become PM of pakistan.. that will help us Indians.. For me Imran Khan was a great leader and social worker. His vision for Pakistan.
I was shocked. when i actually started following his political stands and his alliances with different parties. sitting around with Zaid Hamid and A Quersi .. Gazwa-e-Hind followers.. and praising them.. was quite shocking..
You are on the spot — “taliban apologist and suffers typical twisted envy of the West”
i wonder why supporting Islamic groups and opposing US military operations in Pakistan, are crimes which disqualify Imran Khan. Really?
As long as Taliban and the Pashtuns don’t interfere with other’s liberty (by not hosting Al-Qaeda for instance), there is nothing particularly wrong about their way of life. If average Pashtuns don’t like the Taliban, its their problem to rebel against the Taliban. No regime can survive if people don’t tolerate it.
Why have an assembly in Peshawar, if bloggers in Lahore and Karachi can decide for all the residents of Pakhtoonkhwa?
while a left liberal blog like this one can very well oppose Nawaz Sharief, Musharraf or Imran Khan, it must be understood that such opposition is merely based on politics and not necessarily in support of common good.
I liked the directness with which this subject was tackled. There was no devious manoevering away from the subject. My criteria too of a patriotic pakistani is one who looks the storm in the eye and goes head on to tackle the problem. Excuses, pretenses and rationalizations only confuse us hopelessly and we get stuck in the quagmire of conflict. Why don’t we have the courage to face our problems..whether it is the taliban, alquaeda extremism, or cricket?
Sugar coating evil does’nt make it go away or make it more edible. Raza Habib’s criticism of Imran is therefore very apt and as he rightly refers to him as a bundle of contradictions, since his statements lead nowhere, and evaporate into thin air.
Reza
what issues matter to the majority in your opinion ?
rgds
Raza Bhai, I agree with you once again. I read an article from IK criticizing the West and the social decay of the West. When he decided to pursue his career as a social reformer and a politician. IK was brought in politics by Ex ISI, Hamid Gul. So he has ISI to thank for that one.
Secondly his criticism of Western moral decay is more hypocritical, as he has not accepted his own daughter out of wed lock.
IK may be well intentioned, but will not be able to engage public en masse. Despite his years of philanthropic work. Yes he appears like a confused “Brown Sahib”, the identity he tries to shy away from.
@Dasghar Bhai
And sir add to it his nonsensical pro taliban ranting…
I mean that is denial par excellence!!!The guy can never bring himself to even mildly condemn those monsters
The article raises a few interesting points. I, however, take issue with its sweeping generalizations and wonder which “we” the author claims to speak for.
The middle class as a whole is accused of suffering from a “twisted envy of the West” because it emulates the West on the one hand but defends its religion and national identity on the other.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines envy as “a painful or resentful awareness of an advantage enjoyed by another joined with a desire to possess the same advantage”. How does defending one’s national identity and religion signal a resentful awareness of the West advantages?
Reacting defensively to assaults on one’s identity are a basic, universal human characteristic, rather than a unique Pakistani disorder.
(This accusation of “envy of the West” as the author likely knows has been applied ad nauseum to the broader Muslim world, not just to Pakistan, along with the indictment that we hate the West’s freedoms. Haven’t we heard enough of this hogwosh?)
The author says that projecting self-respect to politics is “a naive delusional state of self-denial”. Should we instead be projecting self-hatred?
There’s no doubt that a section of our society lives in self-denial and feeds on conspiracy theories, while refusing to engage in introspection, and perhaps even being envious of the West. But to cast whole segments in this mold is simplistic and naive itself, bordering on the delusional and twisted.
Regardless of one’s political affiliation, one has to laud this article for asking questions and making observations that are not the norm in our society. I appreciate Raza Raja’s work because there is an element of evolution in his thought process that make his observation timely and relevant. Most of us, myself included, grew up hero worshipping Imran Khan as a cricketer. Wasim was the more talented bowler but as a cricketer, Imran is clearly number one in Pakistan. His philanthrophy is welcome and from all accounts, SKMT is a well run hospital that hires some of the best medical talent.
However, his arrogance and chauvinism, easily overlooked when he graced the cricket field and developed donation networks, are not endearing to the average Pakistani. Most importantly, his pro Taliban outlook and romance with shady Islamists is deeply offensive to the vast sections of Pakistanis who wish for a secular and progressive Pakistan. Similarly his chauvinism puts him at odds with Pukhtuns, Balochis and Sindhis whose outlook is vastly different than the prevailing narrative.
I am glad that someone is taking on the elite chattering classes, their deluded sense of self-importance and their warped vision for our country.
@Ali Abbass
Thanks for actually adding to the main theme of the article…In fact I had skipped Imran’s conflicting viewpoint with regard to other ethnicities. Actually too much stress on defining identity in sheer Islamic and Pakistani nationalism terms would invariably put you at odds with the subnationalities…
@ Mir
Sir in social sciences eventually we are talking about generalities while being mindful of the fact that not everyone which belongs to a particular class thinks in similar terms. It is obvious that it is not possible. So this article was not trying to bracket every single person of middleclass as “delusional” but a reasonable of urban middleclass unfortunately fall into that category.
Several surveys from Gallop show that despite horrific bombings by Taliban, the middleclass actually brands USA as enemy number 1.
And yes a substantial number beleives in conspiracy theories..
The middle class does have an identity crisis which is embodied by the likes of IK. While IK maybe factually correct, he is politically incorrect while addressing the masses, which mayb attributed to his naiivete as a politician. While his support for the right-wingers has made him the target of liberals, they (the liberals) have failed to come up with any concrete steps to counter terrorism other than blaming mullahs and Ziaism.
Imran Khan was very impressed with Hamid Gul early in his political career. They both were devising an Islamic plan for Pakistan.
This is 1994/5, I am speaking of. Things have not changed much since then.
@Raza
Could you kindly provide me the link to the Gallup Poll you refer to about the middle class perceiving the US as the greatest “enemy”?
I have found this poll conducted jointly by Al Jazeera-Gallup, published in Aug 2009.
http://english.aljazeera.net/focus/2009/08/2009888238994769.html
For the pool, “Interviews were conducted across the political spectrum in all four of the country’s provinces, and represented men and women of every economic and ethnic background.”
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia/2009/08/20098910857878664.html
This is what a representative cross-section of Pakistan feels (not just the Middle Class):
41% favoured the military operation against the Taliban. Only 24% disapproved of it.
67% apposed the drone attacks.
59% considered the US the greatest “threat” for Pakistan. [note threat, not enemy].
One possible reason given for the negative opinion of the US was the drone strikes. This did not come as a surprise to a US official quoted in the second article who said the battle of hearts and minds is far from won–no mention of Pakistanis being abnormally delluded and twisted in their thinking. There was no mention of envy against the US as being a reason for the percived threat.
I am sorry, I find your article disjointed in its reasoning and making unsubstantiated generalization (even by social science standards).
I, however, support you in your exploration of the ills that afflict Pakistani society and psyche. We need introspection but one that doesn’t frame the discussion in sensational, counter-productive terms.
Thank you.
An excellent article. You have very eloquently put into words my feelings towards Imran Khan exactly.
Pakistani middle class morality is based on a hypocrisy of self-interested in politics and for this reason, it will never vote for Imran Khan. To be a leader in Pakistan, you have to make compromises and you have to have the vunerability of being bribed.
Imran Khan’s drift to the right maybe a disappointment to the left and the so-called liberals of Pakistan, who would not know ppwhat “liberalism” even if it was explained to them. The reason that Imran is drifting to the right is, because the liberals of Pakistan and its middle classes, are a status quo society who are more interested in securing their niche in society and which is why, they have been apathetic; supporting any military ruler and any politicans as long as their own little sphere of life was not threatened.
Imran Khan, regardless of his politican views, is a self-made person, who owes nothing to anyone and such a person will never be considered as a “team player” by the status quo society in Pakistan.
@Feroz Khan
The trouble with your argument in favour of Imran Khan, without going into the merits for the moment, is that a mere reversal of roles carries as much sense as your original wording. If the matter is so flexible, is the argument strong enough to withstand wind and weather?
Thus (your original in italics, and changes in bold face):
[Insert any well-known liberal personality's name here]’s drift to the left maybe a disappointment to the right and the so-called conservatives of Pakistan, who would not know ppwhat “conservatism” even if it was explained to them. The reason that hero du jour is drifting to the left is, because the conservativess of Pakistan and its middle classes, are a status quo society who are more interested in securing their niche in society and which is why, they have been apathetic; supporting any military ruler and any politicans as long as their own little sphere of life was not threatened.
Hero du jour, regardless of his politican views, is a self-made person, who owes nothing to anyone and such a person will never be considered as a “team player” by the status quo society in Pakistan.
It appears that your argument is like a pair of socks – one size fits all.
Feroze Khan sb,
Are you our esteemed colleague from chowk. If yes, welcome aboard then.
Regards
@Majumdar
Yes he is the same Feroz sahab….I really like hos writing though may not agree to his comment above!!!
I hope in time he contributes somethin for PTH.
Great article, Raza.
Love this, “designer patriots”!!
A sincere question: given the enormous divide between those who have absolutely nothing and those who have a little, let alone between these and the ‘middle class’ how can a person of relative privilege ever hope to speak with (or even ‘to’) the so-called ‘masses?’ What dialogue might they have in common?
@Maryanne Khan
Thanks a lot for liking the article
I did like it, in its tone and its substance.
It made a lot of sense because one might imagine that IK (cricketer, philanthropist) might have a massive following in Pakistan, but his apologist attitude to the stake holders in the Taliban and the interests they serve, smacks, to me at least, of a lasissez faire attitude towards those interests no matter how detrimental to the polity they might be.
@Maryanne Khan
yes apart from taliban apologist behaviour, i think it is also an utter failure to really connect with the voters. That is why even after 14 years his party is no where in the poles.
“Sometimes, I really feel disappointed that a person with his education, brilliance as a cricketer and above all his extraordinary services in the field of social work had to take a political direction that I actually have to pray that he never wins.”
I have problem with this article on many levels.
Pakistan suffers from a crisis of leadership (among other things), and even if we forget about leaders, reasonably competent managers for our government are hard to come by. From Mr. Raza’s article it appears he has an array of political leaders to choose from, and he is being Oh so picky! Sure IK has given brilliant record of actual service to Pakistan, and yes he is honest and of course he wants the best intentions for the country, but for Mr. Raza these things are not enough, he dreads the IK win because … horror of horrors…he actually wants to understand the Taliban problem, may even have a soft spot for them. The fact that he has never endorsed their brutal tactics, and always condemned suicide bombings is irrelevent for the author.
Apparently the current leaders or the leaders in waiting of PML N are much better choice in the views of Mr. Raza. Just a small reminder, PPP and the like have not achieved the elimination of Taliban problem in spite of US aid and military operation, coupled with the fact that they are failing in all other fronts also, don’t make them a very hot choice. But of course for Mr. Raza just the verbal rhetoric of these politicians makes them rise above IK.
Every person has plus and minus points. IK is no embodiment of perfection. One doesn’t have to agree with all of his politics all the time. I don’t even know whether he can ever be elected in the corruption ridden, zamindar driven political system of the country; but he certainly doesn’t deserve such extreme view about his political stance. If Pakistan can try and live with persons like Zardari and Gilani I am quite sure Imran Khan would be an improvement.
Hey Feroz… good to finally see you drop in.
PS: You are missed over Churchills and JD.
@ Mnoor
I have given my reasons…The issue is that typical supporters of Imran and who typically do not even vote come up with this typical defense that who are the alternative choices.
Well every where in world mostly voters even when sick of mainstream parties still try to change polity through mainstream parties as no matter what their flaws, they embody a more pluristic and large section of the society. The idea is to be part of those parties and then try to force change. Yes it is difficult but certainly more do-able then supporting fringe parties like PTI and that too only on Facebook!!!!
Yes Imran does not endorse attacks…for that matter no one does..But he has not even once condemned taliban. He is far more vocal in condemning drone attacks which by the way are targeting militants!!!
Giving aplogetic defence and utter failure to self introspect are a lready well entrenched in our society. I really do not think that imran with his Allama Iqbal brand of Islam and political hollow sloganeering based on already hyped up nonsesne of “qaumi ghairat” is the right answer
@YLH
It is our privilege that Feroz sahab has come on PTH. I really like his writings on chowk.
@YLH
And I hope feroz sahab writes something for PTH
@Raza
“The idea is to be part of those parties and then try to force change. Yes it is difficult but certainly more do-able then supporting fringe parties like PTI and that too only on Facebook!!!!”
Please do let us know who is working on change in those parties, whenever that happens!
@Mnoor
Yeah sure..but for that you have to leave facebook support of Imran khan….
In fact I would prefer that supporters of Imran actually bother to vote, EVEN, if they vote for him. at least they will be a part of participatory process.
Dear Raza Raja
Many of your points regarding Pakistan Middle Class actually applies to Indian middle classes as well.Its interesting to see the similarities.
Regards
@ Indian pundit
I think middle classes due to their monopoly over education, corporate sector and civil services have broadly similar outlook in the developing countries. These are upwardly mobile, self centered, patronizing towards masses and are more “patriotic” and identity conscious.
I would add that IK comes across as naive on economic matters. I saw him speak in late 1990s when Pakistan was facing the possibility of default on it’s international debt obligations. IK’s prescription was that Pakistan should immediately default and ask the loans to be written off (the lenders being blamed for Pakistan’s woes).
I did not feel that he understood what the consequences may be for Pakistanis as a result of such a default. The freezing of foreign exchange accounts by Nawaz Sharif’s government resulted in very significant problems for the country’s economy but that real world experience had not introduced any caution into IK’s thinking.
@mnoor: Completely agreee with your comments. Hit the nail on the head. Couldnt have said it better myself.
@Raza: Thnx for raising the issue.
”Well every where in world mostly voters even when sick of mainstream parties still try to change polity through mainstream parties as no matter what their flaws, they embody a more pluristic and large section of the society. The idea is to be part of those parties and then try to force change. Yes it is difficult but certainly more do-able then supporting fringe parties like PTI and that too only on Facebook!!!!”
The continued support for mainstream parties in the world especially in US and Pakistan, is the reason why the status quo remains and nothing changes for the better. I am surprised that the masses resort to voting for the same parties over and over again!! Its Einsteins definition of madness!
Your comment regarding change within mainstream parties made me laugh! Lolz! Dont see it happening within the next century or so! Maybe when Zardari’s and NS great, great, great, great, great grandsons get kicked out of thier respective parties than we mite see change!
@feroz: agree with you 2!
My opinion is that IK is a great leader and will take Pakistan ahead. Much better than PPP or PMLN and the other politicians. He is honest, no accusation of corruption and has a good graps of history and has proven himself before.
First of all Imran Khan ”ghairat” model is completely valid. If a tiny Cuba and Fidel Castro can be a strong country and stand up for itself and be independant, and if other countries like Iran can stand up for themselves and not depend on foreign powers then why cant we? Tons of other examples i can give in both todays and world and in modern history. Many countries who have a lot less than Pakistan are doing much better simply because they have self esteem and independance.
Second of all IK has alwayz condemned the TTP, he has never endorsed thier actions and he beleives that they are disgusting animals who need to be severely punished. He has said this time and again. Another thing is that his idea is that the people fighting the Army are not all the same, some of them are religious extremists and criminals who deserve to be punished . There are other groups of people who were wrongly targetted by the drone attacks and thier families were killed. IK suggests dividing these people into thier respective groups and then tackling each group separately. I dont agree with his plan but I am just makin it clear that he is not ”apologizing” for anyone. If Palestenians blow up Israeli civilians , and if someone links it to the Israeli occupation then does that mean that they are apologizing for the acts of Palestinians against Israeli Civilians??
Thirdly, extremist Islam is not what IK is promoting. IK promotes progressive Islam with all the values of secularism included such as respect for minorities, scientific progress, human developement and investment, many of the great secular ideals you see in the West were also practised during the reigh of the first four Caliphs despite the controversies. IK has alwayz condemned what he calls the Taliban ”midevil” Islam. He has never allied himself with extremists.
Fourthly, one valid point all of you do make is that he doesnt get any votes. This has also confused me, as people trust him with money but not with votes. However I beleive this is going to change, the incompetence of PPP , PMLN and other mainstream parties has put down thier popularity and I beleive other parties will take thier place. I beleive that a much larger percentage of the population will vote for him now then they did back in 2002 especially considering that we didnt have a fair and free media.
Everybody is entitled to thier opinions but the frustrating thing is how badly misunderstood IK is. He is one of the most misunderstood personalities, people just dont get what he is really talking about and then draw wrong conclusions. Dont want to offend anyone here especially Raza who wrote a good aritcle , I am just putting forth my point of view.
@ Wow
I like this passion. Of course to bolster your point you have selected like minded posts on this thread and ignored majority of anti imran posts. But heck we all do that.
In my opinion, try to work with a mainstream party is still possible rather than fringe party coming into power. Mainstream parties are more representative and plus electable.
Over playing qaumi ghairat in pakistani scenario has been counterproductive as we have not been able to confront terrorism because of obsession with qaumi ghairat. I find it amusing that imran khan has so much to say against drone attacks and yet is speechless when taliban kill far more people.
Any ways, have you wondered as to why he only appeals to urban middleclass tv watching internet surfing and above all NON VOTING populace?
The above post is intended for Mustafe shaban
@mir
Sir if you start picking words in an argument and start deliberating on semantics then frankly then every thing will appear disjointed and over generalized.
Like the word “threat’ and “enemy”..I mean come on….An article is often an opinion and the author is making his opinion not TESTING a hypotehesis…
Most of the Polls, and it was pointed out in muharraf era also are focused on urban areas. in fact come to think of it. PPP apparently fares very badly in some opinion poles and yet continues to win in the Bi electiolons in the rural area.
I have nothing to add. may be I should have used some of the middle class or majority of the middleclass to satisfy your objections.
It’s true that he was a star cricketer and a philanthropist, but yes his career in politics is doubted by most of the people.
re: YLH
Yes, I miss the cigars too, but it is not JD that I miss with my cohibias but something else.
ciao
re: Vajra
My argument was not in favor of Imran Khan.
The fact is, the idea of liberalism is misunderstood in Pakistan and though we may pretend to be liberals; we are not. Liberalism, in Pakistan, is confused with a life style choice that has nothing to do with the political idea of liberalism itself.
Liberalism, as an idea, favors political change within a constitutionally defined manner. This idea then goes against the very grain of liberal thought in Pakistan, which has been traditionally anti-constitutional. There has never been any support for liberalism, as an idea, in Pakistan by its middle classes, because they were always more interested in securing their interests within a status quo dominated political environment rather than challenging the basic tenets of that environment.
The Pakistani mindset is against the idea of the rule of law and it believes in the exclusivity from the law rather than in its obedience. Our society exists, and prides itself, in ignoring the law and not following it. The so-called Pakistani liberals, have always supported military dictatorships over civilian governments, because they have prefered the stability of a military rule over the chaos of a civilian rule, simply because their own interests were protected and for this, they have repeatedly made the choice in support of a non-democratic regime over a democratic one.
ciao
@ Raza Raja
i hate subscribing to comments on pak tea house because you end up getting mail for the next 100 days of two obscure commenters crying themselves hoarse over how the other is uncivil, and a motherf****r to boot.
but when i read something as good as this…
so much of the debate about imran khan is about what he said versus what he did. this really gets at the heart of the matter – imran is stuck in the dilemma of using establishment motifs to define identity, and hence is unable to politically divorce himself from them.
great work. also, i am writing a blog about the “youth”, and if so, may i cite this article as an example of writing by young people.
Splendid article Raza, it was really something worth reading. After reading your article, taking the opportunity I would like to share that I too have always liked or rather admired the services of Imran Khan for Pakistan. I, in fact, have been a die hard fan of him like many others, and perhaps this was the reason that when he first stepped in politics, I thought the country had got its real “messiah”. However, it was only before he came up with his first pro taliban remarks and his insistence upon the usefulness of traditional tribal justice (injustice in reality) system.
I just can’t understand that when people like Haroon Rasheed, the renowned columnist, who is considered a great supporter and a close friend of his has utterly condemned his remarks as well as his liking about the above mentioned points, the guy himself never felt sorry about what he said and what he believes in this regard. this was really something heart breaking for people like me who had always considered him the savior of the country. Had he not been obsessed with this kind of thoughts and mentality, the guy could have been proved a real gem.