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Imran Khan's triumph as Pakistan's undisputed idol could either bring a new air of change to the country under the shock of terrorism and a growing economic crisis. Or it could signal a new dip in Indo-Pakistan relations. by Ravi Shankar in New Delhi and Naila Inayat in Karachi
On July 26, 2018, the anniversary of the defeat of the Pakistani army by India in Kargil, the Pakistani army has won in Pakistan. Imran Khan, the darling of the generals, has left the limit of the political field to take counters at will. How did he become so close? If victories affirm leadership, defeat also defines it. The 2013 election was held at the age of 65. The loss of a veteran politician, Nawaz Sharif, had only boosted his profile as the main opponent in power, putting the Bhuttos in second place. It all started for Imran in 1988 when former military dictator Gen Zia-ul-Haq offered him a position in his cabinet.
The offer was refused but the seed was planted. Today, 30 years later, the party of Imran, Pakistan Tehreek – e – Insaf (PTI), will lead the country. For spectators outside Pakistan, he appears as a modern, overseas, and elegant superstar, but his transformation into a rabid conservative politician earned him the "Taliban Khan" label at home. His support for the terrorist group, his hatred and contempt for the Pakistani liberals whom he calls "Westoxified" and his endless desire to please the far-right religious make him an ideal but confused candidate for his life. a confused nation. Imran is the emperor of Pakistan in a shalwar. With a spectacular projection in the general election that ended July 25, the ITP triumphed in the mainstream, and the man who "will be prime minister" is no longer a will. The reasons behind the khanate emerge in the Pakistani gestalt are numerous, as described below.
Proximity to the army who is the umpire in Pakistani politics, who sees him as a realistic politician.
Unspoken endorsement of the Army's favorite half-brother, the ISI, whose scope extends to all nooks and crannies of Pakistan. A flexible judiciary. Dance with conservative clerics and the Taliban. The pressure of the establishment on the media.
And finally, but not least, his own image as a clean public figure, unscathed by financial scandals and incompetence, which have been the scourge of cricket and its appeal to young people, who yearn for a new age. .
Pakistan is a young population, 70% are young people. In a nation where heroes are currently rare, cricket has been the alternative religion. The decline and scandals of Pakistani cricket brought back nostalgic memories of the happy days of Pak cricket when Imran came forward as a colossus on the ground. Many other cricket heroes were either his protégés or commanded by him. As the Indian Sachin Tendulkar, the legacy of a great sportsman like Imran is indestructible and a national pride even for young Pakistan who has never seen him on the cricket pitch.
Like Narendra Modi in 2014, Imran 's approach was contemporary technology – friendly and youth – oriented. DJs playing fast music during his rallies and an app for 'selfies with Imran & # 39; were unconventional gadgets that proved that he was as innovative in politics as on the cricket field. G Parthasarathy, former Indian High Commissioner to Pakistan, said: "I met Imran Khan in 1982 during the tour of the Indian team led by Sunil Gavaskar in Pakistan.We have lost the series badly. Pakistani journalist told me that when Imran was asked how he was facing such a fire against India, he said, "Every time I play against India I do not treat it like a game. I'm thinking of Kashmir. "
As voters lined up in front of the Lahore National Assembly constituency Wednesday morning, the change was in the air. With the hymns of the Pakistani Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the PTI in the background, the pollsters at each booth were ready to help anyone to vote even from one vote. kilometer. The bastion of PML-N for decades was open to all. "My family is rooted for Nawaz Sharif, he showed determination and courage in returning to Pakistan, he is the only leader who dared to speak against the powerful army and his interference in politics. try to change that, "says Mohammad Ghulam, a 21-year-old technician, Hamid Ali, another voter, does not agree with Ghulam for painting the Sharifs as political martyrs or heroes." Nawaz and his daughter are not only corrupt but are also conspirators. Imran is the only politician who can change the situation and make things happen in Pakistan. He is our last hope. "
Pakistan's new Badshah policy is an enigma shrouded in contradiction.When it is realpolitik, it has many professional politicians on its list and the usual defectors sailing close to the wind in a venal system; barnacles have remained at the mercy of the traditional style of South Asian politics, which is rife with corruption, misogyny and opportunism.It has a playboy image in conservative Pakistan, but it is married to the faith healer Bushra Maneka who is also his spiritual advisor He calls the US intervention in Afghanistan, "deeply flawed", criticizes the drone strikes against the Taliban, but disapproves Pakistan's pro-China stance – During the Chinese president's visit to Pakistan, Imran said: "China does not bring prosperity to Pakistan. China brings another crisis. On the other hand, he calls the Sino-Pakistan economic corridor linking ports, energy sources and Pakistani railways "an opportunity". The Pakistani political badyst Dr. Pervez Hoodbhoy calls Donald Trump, from Imran Pakistan, doing the same thing but packaged differently. "Khan received an even greater appreciation than Trump, who was nominated by the TTP (Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan) as their representative at last year's peace talks (canceled), the reward for the great marches of "peace" protesting against US drone strikes, categorically refusing to condemn any Taliban atrocity, Khan would seek to blame the United States. "
The history of the affinity of Imran with the Taliban is long: in 2013 when Hakimullah Mehsud was taken into a drone strike, Imran was threatening NATO. blockade. The same year that Taliban commander Waliur Rehman was killed in another drone attack, he angrily tweeted that Wali was "pro-peace" and his badbadination was unacceptable. He offered the Taliban the opportunity to open their offices in Pakistan to give impetus to the peace talks. In 2014, the Pakistani Taliban appointed Imran as mediator in peace negotiations with government negotiators. His party donated 550 million rupees to the Haqqania Madrbada, led by Samiul Haq, nicknamed "the father of the Taliban," who is an alma mater of Taliban leaders, past and present. However, this year, when the TTP leader, Mullah Fazlullah, was killed in an American attack, Imran inexplicably chose to remain silent. Parthasarathy says that Imran has the reputation of being pro-Taliban and anti-India
His two close advisers – Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Shireen Mazari – are known to be anti-Indian. Accepts Rahul Bhonsle, Strategic Risk Analyst in New Delhi and Director, Security Risks Asia. He warns that many see Imran as a novice in administration as well as politics, supported by his charisma and proximity to the military. Says Lieutenant-General (Ret'd) J S Bajwa, former Chief of Staff of East Command; Commander, OTA, infantry school and general director of the infantry: "Imran Khan will be the puppet of the Pakistan-ISI army. It is unlikely that he will open a new channel of communication with the NDA government because he alleges that PM Modi belongs to an uncompromising Hindu group. Mr. Imran will continue to discuss the Kashmir issue at the UN and with the HRC, as he calls it a "struggle for freedom". Relations with Pakistan will deteriorate further. "
How Imran is going to handle the radical clerics who have infiltrated Pakistan's mainstream politics – for now without success – while the Taliban will murder his opponents will demonstrate his ability to take a hard line on terrorism." of Allahu Akbar Tehreek, the brain-driven party of the Mumbai terrorist attack and the globally designated terrorist Hafiz Saeed whose main goal is to make Pakistan a "citadel of Islam", have made their family debut in Pakistan Agha H Amin, a retiree of the retired Pakistani tank corps, who heads the think-tank Center for Intelligence Operations, believes that "religious parties have two aspects: (a) they feel manipulated, used and thrown by Pakistani Muslim rulers, both military and civilian; (b) some parties are pro agents of intel agencies who want to hijack extremists from attacking the Pakistani army to attack Afghanistan and India. "
The performance of the ultra-conservatives has not been as good as expected, raising questions about their popularity influence.The encouraging conclusion may be that young people in Pakistan do not see radical Islam as However, Imran, educated in Oxford, who has Mick Jagger for a friend, has himself strayed from his cosmopolitan image to expose a conservative trend either to please his constituency or The scandals about his personal life, including accusations of homobaduality and promiscuity, did not deter them from supporting their "ladla." Moreover, they seem to have given him a free pbad. in a Pakistani society centered on machismo, his youth, who sees Imran as a savior in a system that has seen more scandals than wickets in recent times, is a new breed.
The PTI youth base is immens Proudly proud of his country, intolerant of protest and the army when critics suddenly disappear – traits that earned them the naughty nickname "youthia". They are convinced that India is behind the terrorist attacks in Pakistan, not the Taliban or the IS. Pakistan has waged a fierce and costly war on terror, having lost thousands of soldiers in operations against militants – according to foreign reports, ironically formed by the Pakistani army and the ISI. About 60,000 innocent Pakistanis have died in terrorist attacks and suicide bombings since 2001. The impact of terrorism on the national economy is $ 120 billion. Imran made it clear that Pakistan's involvement in the war was a mistake.
The influx of Afghan refugees is also a burden on the economy. According to Bhosale, "the ITP manifesto interestingly includes a foreign policy agenda in a chapter on national security, further indicating the application of the military prism to relations with India. Kashmir will be pursued vigorously. The manifesto also proposes a strategic dialogue, including on the management of the nuclear dimension and – which could be a Freudian shift from security to cooperation, "as a likely trajectory. Hope that what the editors meant, it was the cooperation in the field of security.
Imran's young constituency is fed up with the political system that has seized the tightrope between the ISI-Armed movement and the democratic process. They believe that Pakistan's legendary cricket icon will meet their non-political aspirations such as jobs, more buying power, entertainment choices and gadgets. They view his support for the Taliban's blasphemy law and tribal justice system as irrelevant. According to a British Council survey of young voters aged 18-29 just before the 2013 elections, only 29% of young Pakistanis believe in democracy, while 32% support the military regime and 38% want Sharia law to replace democracy. current judicial system. 19659008] The approval rating of the Army was 77%. Seventy-six per cent of Pakistani students are dropouts. While this time, a survey showed that 26% of new voters supported Sharif's PML-N, while PTI came second with 24%. The Pakistan People's Party received only 18% support. The Gallup survey data proved the accuracy of Imran; 27 percent rooted for PTI. PML-N attracted only 22 percent. A Pulse survey found that PTI is supported by 37% of new voters. Polling day, which began with Imran, urging 105 million Pakistanis to vote for PTI was marked by violence and death. In Punjab, the stronghold of power in the country, PML-N and PTI workers clashed in Lahore and Chiniot, where the vote had to be temporarily suspended. "The PML-N was condemned by his former midwife and ISI test tube," says Amin.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan stated that there had been "blatant" attempts to manipulate the elections. During the vote, Imran showed a lack of respect for the country's election laws, stamped the ballot in public view and gave a television interview afterwards. The PML-N and the PPP both alleged that the army had rigged mbadively. The biggest challenge of Imrans will be to face the expectations of the very factors that are responsible for its ascent. Says Parthasarathy, "We will have to learn to deal with Pakistan in a different way, but certainly we will have to deal with Pakistan while we are dealing with Myanmar where the army is very powerful. It is the reality that we will have to accept that Pakistan is an army-run state and therefore we will have to have separate channels to deal with the government and the army. "[19659008] In 70 years, Pakistan was ruled by its military or both political parties led by Bhuttos or Sharifs. Imrahad told the venerable Pakistani newspaper Dawn: "This is not Europe, you can not tell people what you stand for and they will vote for you". Last week, at a rally in the poor suburb of Shahdara, Imran had courted a crowd of 8,000 people stating, "It's an opportunity to change Pakistan.You will not have it." not again and again. "Pakistan has chosen to believe it. For now, the army that has held the country in its arms for decades considers it a favorable leader. Pakistan's new captain won the draw. How the scores will depend on the referee ..
Challenges
Corruption
Imran managed to get Nawaz Sharif rejected by the Supreme Court. "The fight is now on, the corrupt political elite is trying to protect itself … The poor are getting poorer and a small number of people are getting rich," he said in an interview
Economy
Pakistan's external and pbadive debt rose 76% to $ 92 billion since June 2013; the ratio is 31% of GDP, the highest for almost six years. According to the IMF, debt will continue to grow because it has the highest financing needs as a percentage of GDP in emerging markets over the next two years. It has a record trade deficit of $ 36 billion. A current account deficit of 5.7 percent of full year GDP combined with a 18 percent drop in the rupee last year is not good news.
Poverty
29.5% of the population lives in poverty line, government data
Education
Low level of literacy with rates only 58%.
Energy crisis
Long cuts often plunge homes and factories in the dark. About two-thirds of Pakistan's energy is generated by oil and gas, but there is a widespread shortage of gas.
Balochistan
The region is plagued by crises such as unemployment, shortage of water and scarcity of water. 19659008] Foreign Policy
Pakistan's external relations must guard Imran's extremist views. The United States and Afghanistan accuse Pak of allowing the Taliban to operate out of his region
Afghanistan War
The Role of Pakistan in the War Led by the United States in Afghanistan has claimed the lives of 70,000 Pakistanis. For Khan, he weakened the internal security situation and consumed more than 100 billion dollars from the economy.
Captain Controversy
Imran Khan had an alleged affair with British heiress Sita White in the late 1980s. According to Sita, they had "one last night of love" together in 1990 where she asked him to conceive her child, and Imran agreed. Tyrian White was born and Imran spent a good part of his life denying that he begot it. Defended in a British court, he did not appear for the paternity test, the decision being favorable to Sita and her daughter. Sita died in May 2004 at the age of 43. Imran's ex-wife, Jemima, posted photos on her Instagram account of Tyrian recognizing her as her daughter-in-law. It is said that Tyrian is close to the ex-wife of Imran and his two sons
Prosecution of Ayesha Gulalai Wazir
In August 2014, the Assembly Pakistani national decided to form a special committee to investigate allegations of badual harbadment against Imran. Gulalai Wazir, a member of his own party. Ayesha accused Imran of having kidnapped him in 2013 and of having continued even after reprimanding him. Imran categorically refuted the claims and sought evidence of the charges, if any.
Reham Khan's Allegations
Imran's ex-wife, Reham Khan, who recently published a book on the former flamboyant cricketer, claimed that he was not a man. He has at least half a dozen illegitimate children, some even Indian, whom he has privately acknowledged. She accused him of homobaduality and also sought badual favors in exchange for political sponsorship. She further said that he was a habitual addict.
& quot; Taliban Khan & # 39;
Imran was a staunch defender of the Taliban. He said that he is open to their operating offices in Pakistan. He has also repeatedly blasted NATO and the West for conducting drone attacks against Taliban camps in Pakistan. The organization could simply have a new life in the current political scenario.
Hand in Hand with the Military
Opponents allege that Imran educated at Oxford is helped in his race up the chair by the l '. army, which had control over the nation's 71-year-old off-and-on. The military does not kindly take imprisoned prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his family. With them, there is no one to stop the rise of Imran to power
Corruption tag
Imran may have won the hearts of voters with his promise of A Pakistan without corruption, own party is not so easily taken by his words. Thousands of his activists recently protested outside his villa when Imran distributed tickets to corrupt politicians from the previous regime on the grounds that they would bring the polling bank they so badly needed.
Friends
Army
Appreciates the support of Pak army, allegedly working to put Imran in power. Signals of his willingness to work with the army often came from Imran: "It's the Pakistani army and not an enemy army," he told New York. Times in May. "I will carry the army with me."
Taliban
Imran has often been criticized for not cracking down on the Pakistani Taliban. When the group mbadacre in 2014 in a Peshawar school was widely condemned, including by the Afghan Taliban, Imran has always insisted on opening channels for dialogue. He described the Taliban's struggle in Afghanistan as a holy war, earning the nickname "Taliban Khan" from his opponents. He even declined to comment on whether Osama bin Laden was a terrorist.
Foes
Nawaz Sharif
2019 The general elections were presented as the Muslim League of Pakistan (N) & # 39; Nawaz Sharif vs. Imran are fighting. For a long time, Imran tried to bait Nawaz. It is only thanks to the help of the army and with Nawaz and his political heir, daughter Maryam, behind bars that Imran was able to accomplish his destiny. The Bhutto clan, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, is only 29 years old. Although educated in Oxford as Imran, the Pakistan Peoples Party and Imran share no common ground. Imran often belittled him as a political dynast
Farooq Sattar
The leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (Pakistan) often called Imran "morally" bankrupt. He has repeatedly spoken of Sita White's scandal. With its recent rise, experts say that Imran completed Farooq's political career
The United States of America
Uncle Sam closely monitors the Pakistani elections . An impersonator Imran (who otherwise supports the Taliban) with the army that supports him will be a nightmare for the US
Maulana Fazl-Ur-Rehman
The leader of Muttahida Mahlis-i-Amal has often criticized Imran for his stance on Israel and baderted that there is no chance of an alliance with Imran. He has repeatedly stated that Imran's election victory would not be in Pakistan's best interest.
With the contributions of Sangram Parhi, Ramananda Sengupta and Medha Dutta
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