Janus faced doesn't quite describe him. Imran is no Roman deity looking to the future and to the past, even if his past is well known and his future uncertain. The expression Janus-faced has less savoury connotations as well but we would rather steer clear of it, letting his admirers and critics decide for themselves.
We know his is a complex personality, but what intrigues critics and admirers alike is how real is his public persona. The past shines. An engaging young man, admiring his famous cousins but determined to out-do them; getting away with derelictions on sheer charm; the Kerry Packer poster boy. That style, that élan. The ladies man whose past refuses to get buried. The crowning glory in Australia etched in public mind -how, cup in hand, he spoke about him and his ambition.
Into higher gear post Cricket, with the Hospital and the University concreting his credentials as a 'doer'. He soon became the new kid on the political block. He transformed the whiners into 'tabdeeli walas', inspiring them to rub shoulders with the hoi polloi at the polling stations. He made 'jalsas' fun - music, dancing, chanting girls. And a beacon of hope. The defiance of the dharna posted his arrival as a major political force. Ironically, this is where a brilliant past morphed into a shaky future.
Confidence granulated into arrogance. Good listening gave way to proselytizing and a growing intolerance for difference of opinion. With dissent tabooed, the revolving door saw the starry eyed 'tabdeeli walas' out and open-eyed 'electables' in. Hopes of many, who desperately wanted change and looked upon Imran as the agent of that change, were dashed against the wall of hubris that now defined the man. The strategy of 'tabdeeli' got muddled once he entwined his rise with Nawaz's fall. Did the people, fan club apart, now see all the shades of grey? Did they really see the person beyond the persona?
Tabdeeli demands action, not the cult of personality. People hankering for change are the ones who feel Pakistan has been short-changed, year after year, by its inept and immoral leadership. They are the ones who believe Pakistan deserves better. They are the ones who want to walk with head held high, proud of the green passport, and not wanting to become a second class citizen elsewhere driving a cab after all those years in medical school.
Of course, they own the blame for putting this inept and immoral leadership into office. But between dynasties, buttressed by the 'system', they didn't have much of a choice. Hence the appeal of Imran: new but well known, a bit of a macho but perceived to be 'clean', and despite his play boy reputation in the West he had all the appurtenances of a believer. His message resonated: Pakistan deserved better; all that it needed was a leadership that could deliver. He said he will deliver. Many believed the Messiah. Except what we have seen so far is dismantling and demolishing. No signs of the building plans yet. Yes, he has been vociferous in pointing out what is wrong, but do we need someone declaiming to us from the pulpit to tell us what we already know? Beyond the promise to change things - through impressively choreographed jalsas, creative sloganeering, speeches peppered with references to welfare policies of Norway and Sweden - we know little of exactly how Imran plans to correct the wrongs.
Take the economy as an illustration. With the able and well respected Asad Umar by his side, Imran walked us through the state of the economy, telling us all that the present government has bungled up. Fair enough. But what is Imran's plan to correct the ills? What will he do to fix the ballooning current account deficit, for instance? What is his strategy to give exports a leg up? How is he going to fix the appalling investment rates? What are his solutions to the dismal tax to GDP ratio? It is alright to say all this needs to be improved but we can give him a vote of confidence only if his solutions show us a credible way forward. Otherwise, the country is full of people to tell us what is wrong.
We really don't know where Imran stands on any issue - from Foreign Policy to radicalism to Pakistan's disappointing ranking on virtually every development index. All he has to show for his party's rule in KPK is a depoliticized Police and forestation. Both laudable, but we don't know if the former has led to a greater sense of security for the people and if the latter is going to be sustainable. The only way to break the dynastic monopoly and the system's stranglehold on our politics is through infusion of 'fresh blood' into politics: able and committed people like Asad Umar giving up flourishing careers to do public service. Early Imran held out that hope and we saw quite a few taking the plunge. Sadly, most have parted company.
For someone in Imran's position, where his ability to weld together promise and policy is being increasingly questioned, one would imagine he would go looking for advice. A chance encounter on a flight to Islamabad showed us he thinks he knows it all. We wanted to share with him our thoughts on our export dilemma. He had no interest whatsoever. Even normal courtesy was forsaken, despite his recalling a visit to our house for fund raising, where we had put together some leading exporters too. But that was early Imran. On this flight he only had time for airhostesses, who happily sat on the vacant seat next to him for selfies; both parties apparently unmindful of the regulations, especially at the take-off time! We badly need someone to champion change. If Imran wants to be that champion he will have to go beyond finding fault and construct a viable formula for change. Elections are not too far away and he will have to hit the road running. He needs advice. More importantly, he needs to make himself receptive to good advice - unless his persona is deceptive and he too is obsessed just with the allure of office. We want to embrace the new, not the old dressed up as new. Will the real Imran please stand up?
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