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For too long, this country has been under the thumb of people like Nawaz Sharif, Asif Ali Zardari, and Altaf Hussain. For too long, we have kept quiet about their oppression for the sake of our families and our lives. But, one amongst us dared to defy them, one who decided to rise above the tyranny and face these cowards and his name was Imran Khan.
Coming from humble beginnings, Khan knew what it was like to be looked at as if you didn’t mean anything to anyone. He knew what it was like to find glory and make a name for oneself through hard work and determination. His first such victory came in 1992 when he led Pakistan to their first ever ICC World Cup. It was then that he knew that the people needed someone who could show them hope in despair, teach them to see the light in darkness and to think of the positives amidst a sea of negatives.
To that end, he decided to launch his political career with his own party the Pakistan Tehreek-e- Insaaf. It seems that Wednesdays and the 25th day of the month have a lucky effect on him. It was Wednesday, April 25th, 1996 that he found the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf. It was the small party at first and very few supporters as he was new to the game and had not yet achieved that level of mastery over politics as he had over other things.
Thus, his first elections were a clean sweep, “the other way around” as he put it to his then-wife Jamima. But, this did not discourage him; instead, it gave him, even more, drive to achieve something that seemed impossible all these years ago. For the next, 20 years he decided to do politics of For the people, in that he decided to approach the crowd and asked them to hold the people accountable and bring justice to their doorstep instead of having to beg for it at the mercy of their rulers.
This worked for some time as he had struck a nerve with this approach and somewhat rattled his would-be opponents. However, not all was going well for Khan’s mission as he was accused of playing dirty countless times by the people who began to see him as a true opponent, with his fierce but levelheaded approach and his ability to navigate through the toughest obstacles.
It was in 2013 that he cried foul play at the effortless victory of the very people he’s accused of hurting his beloved country and at once decided to protest against their election. Of course, he was ridiculed by those in power because there was no way that they thought they could be touched, but, they’d forgotten Khan’s resilient past. It was up to him, he felt, to do something about their unjust rule, their ignorance of the country for one city and their threats of shutting down the biggest city in retaliation against an action.
All these things added fuel to the fire that had lit in Khan’s heart and he felt that nothing would stop him now from achieving his ultimate goal- To see all these corrupt behind bars and their immense wealth brought back to the country they stole from. But, it would be a difficult task as he was going against three big powerhouses that had all but branded themselves as overlords.
In the five years that followed, Khan had all but achieved what the people thought as impossible. His first victory came when he emerged as the second biggest party in the 2013 general elections and the ruling party in KPK. He emerged as a rallying point for people who needed a fresh perspective and a beacon for all those who had given up hope.
It was Khan who cried for the accountability courts to uphold the true law and faced a powerful backlash in doing so. He was called out on his dharnas and his rallies as an attention seeker, but, he ignored all that and kept a calm head. There were also some internal agents who sought to besmirch his name namely the Ayesha Gulalai Text scandal, but Khan came out on top in that too, for he was a man who had nothing to hide and encouraged others to be so as well.
But, the penultimate victory was when he was able to get the Prime Minister-elect dragged to court over his “legal and family owned” assets. This was perhaps what the people needed to see; a change in the already tarnished image of Pakistan in the eyes of the world. He helped project an image of a Pakistan which would not bend laws for any individual, foreign or domestic. What followed next was a rollercoaster of nightmares for all those who had considered themselves above accountable and above the law.
This all lead up to the day we all waited with bated breath; the general elections of 2018. Luckily for Khan, the elections fell on a Wednesday on July 25th, 2018. The people had already embraced Khan as a leader in their hearts and minds, now all that was left was to show it on paper. And show it they did, Khan’s candidates emerged victorious in places where the elite had roots, such as Bilawal losing miserably in Lyari, Farooq Sattar losing to Aamir Liaquat and many such examples.
Khan’s candidates were accepted wholeheartedly by the people and so was Khan himself. And his victory speech reflected that. His speech dripped with honesty and sincerity and included points which were achievable and practical instead of just big talk. Khan emerged as a leader who wants to show the people that hope is still alive and his message made it clear that if he can drag bring others to court, he can be brought before it as well.
To conclude, I would say that after giving all the leaders two-three terms and not seeing anything changes, Khan deserves at least one try. If he doesn’t deliver, he can be called out on his words and if he does, then his opponents can get used to taking a backseat in the political run and watch a pro at work.
