Imran Khan: a political journey of victory, challenge and an uncertain future

Imran Khan, the hero of Pakistan's 1992 Cricket World Cup victory, is renowned for his fighting spirit, which has earned him adulation across the world. He was a courageous captain who inspired his men to stage stunning comebacks from near-defeat situations, especially against rivals India. Blessed with good looks, he also had a tall, autograph-seeking wife who followed him around, whether she was interested in cricket or not. Celebrities and politicians wanted to be seen in his company. It would have been a mistake if he had not tried to carve out a larger national role for himself using his sporting celebrity.

The political adventure began slowly for the rapid strike thrower, one of the most feared of his time, after creating his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, which espoused the ideals of social justice and challenged established parties. by Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif.

Despite deep public discontent with ineffective governance and the politics of financial greed in the country, his party did not achieve instant success. It was clear that scoring in politics was going to be an entirely different competition than winning cricket matches. The PTI failed to win any seats in the 1997 National Assembly elections, and only Khan managed to win a seat in the 2002 elections. Neither Nawaz Sharif nor Benazir Bhutto considered Khan a serious opponent, and he was left a long way to go to prove his political maturity. He had to learn to manage powerful elites and competing institutional interests. His rhetoric against corruption and his incessant attacks on the alleged character deficiencies of his main political opponents may have pleased part of the population, but it was never enough to secure him a parliamentary majority.

It took him more than two decades after entering politics to finally become prime minister in August 2018. His cause was bolstered by the Supreme Court's disqualification of Nawaz from office in 2017 over allegations of corruption at the following the leak of the “Panama Papers” in which many people around the world were victims. politicians, business figures and celebrities have been captured. Nawaz's Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) and Benazir's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) have called Khan the “ladla” (favorite boy) of the influential military establishment.

Against the establishment

Assuming that Khan was aided by the “establishment” in his political rise, it didn't take long for him to find himself battling the powers that be.

In April 2022, Khan became the first prime minister of Pakistan to be impeached following a dramatic parliamentary vote of no confidence brought against him by the Pakistan Democratic Movement alliance, which included most of the country's influential political players. Instead of quietly exiting and waiting for more favorable conditions to attempt to seize power again, Khan decided to capitalize on a wave of sympathy to launch a counteroffensive.

Pakistan, under Khan's leadership, has handled the COVID-19 crisis relatively well, and its social initiatives such as the Sehat Card, a flagship universal healthcare program and a shelter program for the poor, have received support. immense praise. But his overall governance record was not extraordinary. Indeed, he would have had difficulty winning the next elections if he had not been dismissed by parliamentary vote.

He appeared to lack political flexibility and was flawed in terms of administrative acumen. With hindsight, it is safe to say that Khan did not inspire confidence in elite circles, as he began to be seen as overly ambitious and someone likely to upset the institutional balance of power in a state with nuclear energy. It was reported that he wanted to introduce electronic voting machines, a huge measure that appeared to lack political consensus.

On the issue of corruption, it appears that he acted too quickly and clashed directly with powerful opponents from the first days of his term as prime minister.

International feuds

Khan faced two extremely sensitive geopolitical challenges during his tenure as prime minister. The first was India's August 2019 revocation of Article 370 which granted the Jammu and Kashmir region (divided between Pakistan and India but claimed by both in their entirety) a limited form of autonomy under the Indian Constitution. Relations with India quickly deteriorated, with Khan cutting trade ties with the neighbor and imposing a ban on Bollywood films. It was reported that some vested interests in Pakistan were in favor of rapprochement with India, but Khan gave up. The issue has been deadlocked even though Khan has been out of power since 2022, making it clear how sensitive the issue is.

The second challenge was the so-called Abraham Accords between the Jewish entity and some Arab states manipulated by the Donald Trump regime. There are unconfirmed reports of pressure on Pakistan from pro-US Gulf states to recognize Israel. Khan reportedly refused to move in this direction, knowing how reckless and self-destructive it would have been given the overwhelmingly pro-Palestinian public sentiment. Some powerful elements wanted to pave the way for Saudi Arabia to normalize with the Jewish entity using Pakistan.

The fall and the support

It is unclear what ultimately led to the fall of the PTI government, but it did lead to a groundswell of support for Khan. His party sought to take advantage of the mood by ramping up public pressure, a strategy that ultimately backfired because it made his opponents more determined to keep Khan out of power. With hindsight, it becomes clear that Khan misjudged the level of public support and the appetite of ordinary Pakistanis for street protests.

In the campaign against his ouster, Khan was never sure what kind of political fight he was seeking. PTI's social media campaigns have clearly been effective, but their success does not necessarily favor Khan's future policies. Although Khan publicly professes his respect for institutions, ruling elites are wary of his intentions.

He initially blamed the United States for his ouster, saying Washington was against Pakistan pursuing an independent foreign policy, citing the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and other issues as examples. Pakistanis strongly approve of his stance against US wars against Muslim countries and US interference in Pakistan. His uncompromising stance against the US-led war in Afghanistan and the so-called war on terror in Pakistan is much admired.

However, there is a contraction in the PTI's strategy when taking into account Khan's public views on the West. Khan's supporters in the United States have lobbied leading Zionists in the US Congress and pro-Israeli opinion makers to get him out of prison. It may be desperation, but these measures will have an impact on Khan's future policies.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has so far shown himself to be a stable man and, unlike his elder brother and three-time Prime Minister Nawaz, he is not inclined to develop differences with the military as an institution . The current ruling coalition, made up of the PPP, PML-N and their smaller allies, appears confident. The 2022 fiasco and its consequences, however, have reinforced the need for political parties and institutions to know their limits. It seems that all parties are more aware of the pitfalls of confrontation. It is a welcome development that the government and PTI leaders have initiated reconciliation talks to reduce political tensions in the country. These talks could allow Imran Khan to reach a compromise with the ruling elites. The strategy of street mobilization would only further spoil the political terrain for him.

The Sabah Daily News Bulletin

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