A lot to learn
Sir: Every day I come across people
who idolise Imran Khan. For them, he is like some promised leader who has
already done a lot for the country, like forcing oil-producing countries to
reduce the prices of petroleum products. According to them, it was Imran Khan
who persuaded the US to stop drone attacks, which have now been resumed since
the government wanted otherwise. They are convinced that because their leader
is very popular in India as well, India will hand over Kashmir to Pakistan
within a week once he becomes the prime minister of the country. He has changed
the face of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (where his party is in power), so much so that
most of Karachi’s Pakhtun population has returned to that province. They say
that the crime rate in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has been reduced to zero except when
you ask them about the recurring bomb blasts for which they blame the federal
government.
Smuggling from Afghanistan has been
stopped, they say, and thousands of shopkeepers in Karkhano Bazaar outside
Peshawar are now selling groceries and locally made products, and the taxes
from these traders could make Khyber Pakhtunkhwa the richest province in the
country. In fact, Imran Khan’s followers think he has already proved he has
what it takes to be a prime minister (like using foul language and hurling
accusations at journalists, human rights activists and such other unpatriotic
citizens), so they believe that he should be asked to form the government
without going through that irksome process called elections. They have a lot to
learn, these brainwashed followers of the former cricket captain.
Shakir Lakhani
Karachi
Karachi
Printed in The News, November 28, 2014
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