Re: Imran Khan to TI party workers: " Desert me if I ever go back on my principles"
Yaar MWP when Imran sought the support of PPP and Nawaz recently that was to get all parties on one platform, to end military rule. He was n't seeking to grab power thru the back door. Imran has always maintained that charges of corruption (against BB and Nawaz) and extra-judicial killings against Altaf and MQM (and whomever for that matter) should stand and the investigation should take it's due course. He has always been very clear on that point and that is his principled stand. There is absolutely nothing wrong with seeking the support of political parties to promote democracy and end military dictatorship. He has always said that his party will fight the election on it's own manshoor. Imran was not compromising on his principles as some of you are deliberately trying to create this wrong impression about him.
And he's not an opportunist. If he had wanted to capture power thru the back door (like BB is doing now) he would have sided with Mush in 2002 and accepted PMship but he did n't (and he was offered the post of Federal Minister as early as the mid-eighties by Gen. Zia but he rejected it then as well). Yes he supported Mush in the beginning as indeed did I (even though I do not approve of military rule in any shape or form) because we all felt that he was doing something good for the country e.g his initial drive to collect taxes (which lasted a mere 3-4 months :)) which turned out to be nothing but sham and we soon realised that this power-hungry dictator was no different from his predecessors and all his subsequent moves incl. getting all lotas to unite under the umbrella of PML-Q or more recently his secret deal with kambakht BB were to ensure his grip on power.
That said I gave Mush credit in the past when I felt that he did something good. There has been some progress on the economic front, although if you look at the actual numbers it's all relative. I give him credit for freeing the media although this may have more to do with the internet age that we are living in. It is not as easy to gag the media now as perhaps it was back in the eighties. As for judicial independence, they gained it thru the lawyers' movement rather than the government granting them this freedom.
GA: You are the first one who actually explained the views of IK. I for one was extremely confused why is he talking the way he is. Problem I see is that the alliance he has with Sharifs and MMA. These people are equally corrupt and have the past consist of same things that he accuse the other alliance for. When I see this, I think that what he is doing is for political gain. Ok, IK, go for it make alliances for politics, but most of his policies have been to divide and rule. I have yet to see a platform from him that can unite every Pakistani. Moreover, he is not clear on what he would do on many issues facing the country. Mainly terrorism. His recent article suggest that people in NWFP are fight for their pride and revenge and from the glimpse of it I concluded that if he is the PM, he would immediatly withdraw troops from those areas. In addition, his explaination of tribal areas disappoints me. He is Oxford educated, he can come up with better explanation of why things are the way they are in NW rather just revenge culture. I think the people over there will be offended the way he represented them in his article. It projects them as barbaric animals who will go for revenge any time you cross the line. No compassion and moreover, they will secure even a terrorist if he stays with them for a week.
Reality is different. Opium production has again hit record levels in 2006 and will go to another level in 2007. The drug traffic has made a mess of that area. Many residents are hooked on it, other are carrying out their terrorist and militant activities with the money they are making from the trade. Even if the government destroys those fields, the workers are so poor that they have no choice but to join Al-Qaeda and Taliban, take up weapons against their own army. In addition, I see the poor people being hostage to this Taliban culture, when your CD shops to girl schools are blown up for no reason. When army personal are being beheaded, when the rule of law is done via AK-47 rather tribal laws, we know something is not straight.
IK, who probably can speak to the world on this regard and become a fighting force of change is doing nothing rather playing same old divide and rule politics. Like I said, if he is serious about corruption and law and order situation than he must look into his alliances and be fair. Moreover, the whole deal concerning MQM-PPP-army is not even close to IK and his party.
Entire situation erupted in late '80s when the army and government became the law rather establishing it. Politics, schools and institutions were invaded with theories of sharias. Instead of establishing the rule of law the government choosed to go over it, which is why we are facing the 2007. Most of the elements are because of it. The government that was sworn in to protect becomes your public enemy number one. In light of this, one is going to see sub-culture of corruption and malitia. It is similar to Lal Masjid and Waziristan and now when the government is finally realizing the reality, Imran Khan is not supporting it.
I don't see it any better way if he joins MMA and Sharif, these people don't represent his point of view. MMA may have tone down their voice for sharia, but there is no possiblity for them to enforce any democracy when elected. Same goes with Sharifs, who actually want more Mullah to take over government position. How is he able to abide by his principles with this alliance?