Some contradictions are ironic, others are just downright ugly. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) put on quite a show in Karachi on Sunday, attracting a large crowd, in an attempt to expand the anti-government campaign to places other than Islamabad. PTI Chairman Imran Khan, who had arrived in Karachi via private plane, lamented the prevalent VIP culture in Pakistan. He promised that his sons will never become a part of politics in the country. That is comforting because they’re British nationals and don’t live in Pakistan. According to Imran, he had come to Karachi to unite people, forgetting that he has emerged as the most polarising figure in national politics during the last few years. Perhaps it is this spirit of unity which kept Imran from mentioning the MQM while highlighting several ills plaguing the mega city. It’s akin to protesting over the problems in Lahore without saying a word about the role of the PML-N. Imran also failed to identify the killers of slain PTI leader, Zahra Shahid, as per his promise. In fact, he thanked the MQM for its hospitality; the same party he had previously held responsible for the murder. He also didn’t say a word about the MQM’s protest against the PTI on Saturday, on the issue of creating new administrative units in Sindh and elsewhere.
For the downtrodden of interior Sindh, Imran had some good news. The PTI would liberate them from the clutches of tyranny, the PPP in this case. With Shah Mehmood Qureshi on his side, the “Sajjada Nashin” for the mausoleum of Shah Rukn-e-Alam and the Darbar of Hazrat Bahauddin Zakaria, Imran promised to bring an end to feudalism and traditional politics. With businessman Jahangeer Tareen on the other side, Imran lambasted the government for mixing politics with trade and business, and assured to safeguard people from such practices. With Sheikh Rasheed not far away, Imran claimed that his struggle is for introducing ‘true democracy’ in the country. Shah Mehmood Qureshi also took the opportunity to accuse his traditional rival and PTI President Javed Hashmi of doing the PML-N’s dirty work. After all, there is a by-election coming in Multan, and despite the rotten ECP, inefficient judiciary, the corrupt anti-people parliament and resignations submitted to the Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, the PTI will wholeheartedly participate. Perhaps Imran would have been able to make a more convincing case had he not completely forgotten to share his thoughts on the issue of floods in Punjab and Sindh (may be out of concern for the unity between land and water). Yet again, his speech made it clear just how detached his politics is from the challenges facing this country. Everyone congratulated Imran, including Imran, for awakening the nation. He had achieved the milestone in 2013 too. Apparently, the nation fell asleep just before the May 2013 elections, and now Imran has done it again.