On the morning of 25th July, Pakistan elected their 22nd Prime Minister, Mr Imran Khan. This former cricketer turned philanthropist turned politician led his party, Pakistan Tehreek- e- Insaf (PTI), right in the middle of his two oppositions and promised to destroy them both along with their corrupt ways of running the government.
A majority of problems in Pakistan are a result of the stronghold of the mafia groups in the nation which, according to Imran, have close ties with the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League (PML), both of which also happen to be PTI’s strongest oppositions.
Former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr Nawaz Sharif, who has been in power for about three terms now, has been accused of corruption throughout his political career. Sharif was even arrested recently on allegations of owning luxurious houses in London which have been claimed to have been bought by illegal money collected over his years when he was the Prime Minister.
To have a Prime Minister as such, serving the country for three terms, one can see why the people in Pakistan were more than happy to elect a fresh face. The nation needs a change in their government, even if it comes in the form of an inflated ego and little political experience.
Imran Khan’s motives to bring change within the nation and its government seemed to have gone beyond the conservative sections of the population and extended into among the citizens who desperately want to see a better government running their nation.
It looks like the former cricket star has been winning the hearts of his nation by populist opinions of eradicating the country’s growing corruption. His visions for an ideal state of living in Pakistan have encouraged the backward classes to hope for a better future. Despite belonging to the upper middle class himself, along with receiving education from the Royal Grammar School of Worcester and Keble College, Oxford, Imran Khan plans on giving importance to the local educational systems over the elite schools that promote Western ideas. But that isn’t all he plans on doing.
During his campaign, Khan spoke of better economic conditions, delivered with a strong anti- Western outlook onto the nation’s future, finally letting his nation hope to lock horns with the superpowers. He promised to maintain better relations with nations like Afghanistan, China as well as India. His motives go directly on-par with his burning desire to take control. However, gaining full control over the nation isn’t something the Prime Minister will be able to get easily.
Throughout the lifespan of this 71- year- old nation, its army has been an active part in the decision-making process of the government. The Pakistani army has made it their mission to keep its distance from neighbouring countries like India, which they see as a threat to the nation. Running governments have been known to include the military while making or altering any laws, especially those related to foreign policies.
Political parties know not to go against the military as they have the power to dissolve governments, as they have done before if they don’t see them fit to run the nation.
Right from his campaign times, Imran Khan has promoted the idea of maintaining peaceful relations with foreign countries. How far he is actually able to go to overcome this without angering the Pakistani army is a gamble we are yet to see unfold. Should this Oxford graduate get into wrong terms with the army, he may have to spend the rest of his term looking over his shoulder.
Overall, Imran Khan definitely looks like the best option to run the nation. The citizens of Pakistan have put their faith in him. However, what kind of Prime Minister Khan will he turn out to be and will he be able to live up to the promises he made during his campaign, are questions only time will be able to answer for us.
Written by:
Divyali Karamchandani