Pakistan belongs to the ‘badmaash’, and Imran Khan isn't one of them

Khan’s quest to have PM Nawaz Sharif dethroned was a failed strategy. The fact of the matter is, Pakistan has never belonged to those law abiding citizens, who follow strict protocols

If I were to meet Imran Khan one day, I would not ask him questions related to politics. Instead, I would give him a word of advice; give it up.

Although I appreciate his enthusiasm to bring a ‘revolutionary’ change in Pakistan considering that it is impossible to do so unless political corruption is probed, his efforts seem futile and laughable. Have we all not seen it in the past? Khan’s relentless effort to gain power in politics is of no use to Pakistan. I, for one know what he is capable of accomplishing once he assumes the official duties of running this nation (that is if he ever does). Many Pakistanis, even today, look up to Imran Khan as a noble saint. Perhaps his devoted fans are blindfolded by his past.

Khan’s quest to have PM Nawaz Sharif dethroned was a failed strategy. The fact of the matter is, Pakistan has never belonged to those law abiding citizens, who follow strict protocols. Pakistan will and always have its place for corrupt, badmaash and violent Pakistanis, be it Nawaz Sharif or Asif Ali Zardari. Even Imran Khan’s ‘Go Nawaz Go’ banner received widespread acclaim, but was it ever effective? Last I checked, Nawaz is still the PM of Pakistan and Khan isn’t. Moreover his bogus, nonsensical strategy to negotiate with the Taliban was an utter disaster for Pakistan. What bothers me the most is that Khan is not an avid supporter of every province. He belongs to the KP government and serves it solely.

Unless or until political corruption is not challenged, ‘revolution’, as Imran Khan puts it, cannot be accomplished. Even I am not a fan of Nawaz Sharif and his party but PTI is worthy of no support either. Their accomplishments are their own. They are not for the betterment of Pakistan as a whole. Working in KP only will not bring about change. It takes years of hard work and civilian engagement. Here, we are trying to unite Pakistan and Imran Khan is tearing us apart. Creating divisions in a state that stands for unity is an agenda I refuse to endorse.  The reason behind PTI’s past failures is on account of impulsive decision making, poor endorsement of their campaign to gain support of every Pakistani and the list goes on.

Now that everything has unfolded, Imran Khan is yet again trying to defame and debilitate PML-N by calling for a complete lockdown of the capital territory, Islamabad. He will visit the city on November 2nd, 2016. Although his agenda is self-serving, many Pakistanis have lost hope in him. However, there are a handful of loyal supporters who know Imran Khan will do wonders for Pakistan. Or are they under the wrong impression too?

I, for one want Imran Khan to be the PM of Pakistan in the coming years. I, myself want his supporters to witness the kind of man he would turn out to be in the end, the kind Nawaz Sharif currently is. One can only sit back and watch the theatrical drama unfold as Imran Khan does what he is best at: making a fool out of himself. As the good old saying by John Quinton goes:

“Politicians are people who, when they see light at the end of the tunnel, go out and buy some more tunnel.”

Born and raised in Fairfax, Virginia, Haider Rifaat is an actor and writer for the Pakistan Observer Newspaper and The Express Tribune Blog. He is currently pursuing his bachelors honors degree in Psychology

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