“The 1992 World Cup was won by the Pakistani Cricket Team and not by Imran Khan alone. To be fair, the credit for the win goes squarely to Inzamam Ul Haq, Waseem Akram, Aqib Javed and Javed Miandad. And, secondly the Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital is a great contribution from Imran Khan – no doubt. However, you should remember he did not build this from his own resources”
I have a friend here in Riyadh-Saudi Arabia by the name of Muhammad Riaz Rathore who prefers to be called solely by his alias of Rathore Pakistani. He is a simple but knowledgeable person – non-conformist and much opinionated on most issues. And, most importantly he doesn’t have any political affiliation or leaning of any kind. This grounds our discussions and discourses in neutrality – so to say. And, as such, I consider the opinion expressed by Rathore Pakistani as those of the “silent majority” in Pakistan.
These days Imran Khan finds himself at the center-stage of the Pakistani politics and as such he is often the topic of discussions everywhere – be it in office, public places, private gathering or for that matter anywhere.
In one such gathering I got hold of Rathore Pakistani to get enlightened about his opinion on Imran Khan.
Me: Salam Rathore.
Rathore Pakistani: I am Rathore Pakistani.
Me: Oh, very sorry. Alright, Rathore Pakistani what do you have to say about Imran Khan?
Rathore Pakistani: I vouch with what Dr. Abdul Qadeer Khan had to say about him.
Me: What? Did he say something about him?
Rathore Pakistani: Yes he did. In his recent Op-Ed in an Urdu daily he said, “Imran Khan has no team, no vision and no mission and hence I pin no hope on him”.
Me: Hmmmm!! But don’t you think this is an unfair assessment especially after his successful show of force in his epic public address of 28 October-2011, at Minar-e-Pakistan.
Rathore Pakistani: Well yes, that public address was a great show no doubt – as a large number of his enthusiastic supporters had responded to his call to gather. But again, as Dr. Qadeer said, “public addresses mean nothing – anybody in Pakistan can display similar show.”
Me: OK, I got it. So you are not impressed with Imran Khan; Are you?
Rathore Pakistani: No, that’s not the case. You asked my opinion about him and I gave one.
Me: But don’t you think both the present government and all the rest – hopeless bunch of politicians – have miserably failed time and again, are a great disappointment and hence it is time for change? And, Imran Khan is the person who can really bring the desired change.
Rathore Pakistani: Let me tell you one thing here. It is true the present government has not lived up to the expectations of the common people of Pakistan. It is also true that the whole lot of politicians also have similar record from the past. In short both the parties in the government and the opposition have failed – in the past and now also. But having said all that, I am at loss to comprehend as to how does failure of others make Imran Khan a successful politician? In my opinion Imran Khan is trying to become hero on others mistakes and not on his own successes, achievements and performances.
Me: Hmmm. But this is not a fair assessment my friend. I do not subscribe to this, I am sorry.
Rathore Pakistani: Why?
Me: Come on, man. He won Cricket World Cup in 1992 for you. He has built and is successfully managing a Cancer Hospital – the only one in the country. Come on, give me a break!!!
Rathore Pakistani: I knew you would bring these on the table.
Me: Is it not the fact?
Rathore Pakistani: Yes all of that you mentioned is true.
Me: So?
Rathore Pakistani: Cool down man. Let me take out the air out of Imran Khan’s these two only balloons that he has.
Me: What do you mean?
Rathore Pakistani: Relax man, relax. First things first. The 1992 Cricket World Cup was won by the Pakistani Cricket Team of that time and not by Imran Khan alone. To be fair, the credit for the win goes squarely to Inzamam Ul Haq, Waseem Akram, Aqib Javed and Javed Miandad. Imran Khan’s performance in that game was dismal and lack-luster – and his only contribution was that he happened to be the captain of the team. And, secondly the Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital is a great contribution from Imran Khan – no doubt. However, you should remember he did not build this from his own resources. A great amount of monetary resources that went into building this project came from the donors worldwide including those from Pakistan. Also, mind you the land for it was generously donated by the Pakistani politician who Imran Khan is accusing and abusing – of all sorts of nasty charges - day-in-and-day-out.
Me: So you agree with his achievements; Don’t you?
Rathore Pakistani: Yes I do agree about his contributions in these two above-mentioned fields. But if by winning Cricket World Cup and by building a hospital one becomes a great leader, savior and automatically qualifies to become the Prime Minister of Pakistan then my friend I think the West Indians should have made Clive Loyd the Prime Minister of the West Indies for life because he won three consecutive Cricket World Cup for his country. Likewise, all other winning Captains who followed suit should have been made Prime Ministers and Presidents of their respective countries as well. Besides, Sir Syed Ahmed Khan should have been made the Indian Prime Minister for founding Aligarh Muslim University; Diya Ram Jethmal should have been made the Governor of Sindh for establishing DJ College in Karachi. On similar account Nadir Shaw Eduljee Dinshaw also qualified to become Governor of Sindh for founding NED Engineering College in Karachi – way back in 1920 - at a time when this region needed engineers for construction of dams and barrages. And, from that extension make Abdus Sattar Edhi as the Prime Minister – he certainly has more contributions under his belt than Imran or anybody else has. My friend, leaders are born like Quaid-e-Azam Mohammad Ali Jinnah and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto were, and certainly not artificially made and propped and installed.
Me: Are you a Jiyala?
Rathore Pakistani: I knew you will make this comment – people like you who are Bhutto-haters always label others to be a Jiyala the moment he/she speaks good about Bhutto.
Me: No dear, that is not the case. Imran Khan spoke very high of Bhutto in his Lahore public address. I think he is a neo-Bhutto – a latter-day Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto – or to put it in simple words – a reincarnation of Bhutto.
Rathore Pakistani: Ha Ha Ha!!! What a farce!!!
Me: Why?
Rathore Pakistani: Read my lips – “this Khan is no Bhutto”. He is not even a shadow of him.
Me: He is anti-establishment, anti-American, etc like Bhutto was. Above all, he is the only hope – just the way Bhutto was after the break-up of Pakistan in 1971 and he wants to build a new Pakistan as Bhutto did immediately after the debacle of 1971.
Rathore Pakistani: He is popular and that’s correct but certainly not like Bhutto was. Yes he dreams to be like Bhutto and many of his supporters like to portray him as neo-Bhutto also. In fact his leader from Karachi Arif Alvi recently wrote an Op-Ed entitled, “From Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto to My Kaptaan” (Ref: Express Tribune; 02 Aug-2011) in which he hopelessly tried to carve an analogy between Imran Khan and Bhutto. However, no matter what he and his people say and do I must repeat, “Read my lips he is no Bhutto”. He is anti-establishment and anti-American like Bhutto was – this is a hollow claim and in stark contradiction to what he says and what he does. On one hand he criticizes his opponents for meeting with the army and the American Ambassador and he himself is reported to have met with the ISI chief General Shuja Pasha and the American Ambassador H.E. Cameron Munter. The important thing to note is that he never disclosed his meetings to these people and never took the people into confidence about the purpose and agenda of his meetings with them until such time that the media leaked it. The people of Pakistan deserve to know why he met these people. He is the only hope just like Bhutto was after 1971 – well, he may be an emerging alternative leader but all of his rhetoric in and to public do not necessarily make him the only hope. I think this analogy is fundamentally a farce. He wants to build a new Pakistan like Bhutto did after the debacle of 1971 – but the question is: Where are his plans, his vision and above all the “golden team” to do all of these? It is like they say, “Easier said than done.”
Me: You seem to live in the state of denial, my friend.
Rathore Pakistani: “State of denial”? How?
Me: You questioned about his plans, his vision and his team
Rathore Pakistani: Yes surely I did. Please educate me about the fact that on one hand Imran Khan and his cohorts lay claim to be very popular – talk about Tsunami of popularity – and are drawing “farcical analogy” between him and Bhutto and yet on the other hand are welcoming Lotas (political turn-coats) into his party. If he was so popular amongst the people of Pakistan then he should not be hoodwinking the nation into this false belief. Instead of building his party over the heads and shoulders of these “Lotas”, he should be doing exactly what Bhutto did when he founded his party in 1967 and awarded tickets to his genuine supporters only – and certainly not to the Lotas of that time.
Me: But he has not awarded tickets yet to any body and certainly not to any Lota?
Rathore Pakistani: Yes - that is correct because the time has not come yet. But it is certainly clear that he will have to award tickets to anybody from amongst who have already joined him – the “wining-horses” so to say. These people will be from amongst these Lotas and they certainly will not arrive from the moon; will they? Look at the example of Shah Mahmood Qureshi. It is true he is educated, seasoned politician – and may be clean too – but he certainly is a Lota; his journey from PML-N to PPP and then back explains all. But look what happened? The day he joined PTI, he was made the Vice Chairman of the party. Imran Khan is trying to show to the people of Pakistan that he even doesn’t have anybody in his party-rank to take charge as the Number-2 of PTI and as such he had nobody else in his rank except to appoint a Lota in that position.
Me: OK, one final question. Will you and your friends vote for Imran Khan in the forthcoming General Elections – whenever that takes place?
Rathore Pakistani: NO – not until he establishes his “genuine credentials” as an alternate leader. How do I know people want him as an alternate leader? In 2002 General Elections, he barely managed to win one seat of his own – that too via the courtesy of Musharraf. In 2008 elections he chickened out and boycotted. As I said earlier on, a convincing win in the Local Government elections, would have established his “genuine credentials” as an alternate leader. So, up until that I am not voting for him for sure – and neither my friends will. Period!!!
Me: OK, my friend Rathore Pakistani, thanks for your time. Take care.
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Faiz Al-Najdi is a Riyadh based Engineer and a Writer. Email: |
