Recent corner meeting and its overwhelming response by the public has led to widespread speculation about his victory in the next election. A number of people in Pakistan believe that he is the last hope for the country's survival. Until now, the scenario under discussion was different, as it was widely believed that Tehrik-e-Insaf was an insignificant party with no weight. It was said that he would never be able to attain enough majority in order to take up the coveted post of the Prime Minister.
The gossip in the international arena hints at the role of the ISI who are supposed to be responsible for elevating Khan that is evidenced in many parties and individuals yearning to join him and avail the opportunity of acquiring power in the near future. If ISI is really doing this, then, it is a commendable job. Khan as a person appears to be a man of high repute and dignity.
As a cricketer he was responsible for building and elevating the image of the country. As a social worker, he has done wonders for people suffering from cancer in the form of his hospital. He has a mission to carry forward, he is a brave, outspoken, courageous and honest man and is frustrated with the current state of affairs. He in short, is a man who deserves to lead the country. The new generation of the country is looking up to him as 'the saviour'.
According to the design, he shall have to join hands with a number of individuals and parties and that is the trickiest matter. He is looking for 'clean people' and the question remains as to where he will find such people in numbers? If he decides to compromise with the intention of keeping a strict surveillance, would this be possible in the true sense? Corrupt people can change their attire temporarily in order to acquire some latent benefit but a common myth that "even a snake who can change into a human being after 100 years at his own wish ('Ichchadhari Sanp') would come to its real shape once in 24 hours" could be applied here. In simple words, corruption is also a type of addiction which brings forth withdrawal symptoms if one stays away from it. A proper rehabilitation is needed for addressing the 'disease' of corruption. Moreover, these bunches of people will bring additional baggage of vices with them. Once Imran Khan assumes the top position, how will he handle such people who will ransack the parliament, institutions, judiciary, security and solidarity of the country? Besides this one aspect, the enormous debt with the IMF, foreign relations, terrorism, infiltration and dictations from superpowers are other pertinent problems to be handled with care. People in politics have deeply ingrained personality traits with variable manifestations and diverse approaches.
They also have in-built tolerance in the face of political adversity and turmoil, They are also known to carry a possible genetic trait as evidenced in the familial transmission, also they are immune to the principles of integrity, loyalty and dignity in many cases. So, we have to ask questions of ourselves about Khan.
As mentioned, a man of red letters in every respect - does he have these traits, familial transmission, streaks of corruption and endurance in the face of political adversity? The answer would be 'no'. Then, if he becomes the next powerful premiere - it would be practically impossible for him to sustain these wounds and recover. The fear is that we shall lose our last and perhaps only hope. This will lead to great disappointment for the nation, which is already in despair. Should we then, let the existing parties play with the fate of the country unabated. Certainly not, we cannot afford that either.
The current puzzle is like a 'twilight zone' for the country. There appears one solution: formation of a 'model government' or a transient handpicked government by the ISI with Imran Khan as the leader at the helm of affairs and selection of a number of ethically proven honest, righteous, experienced and highly literate people to form a government with the support of the army for a fixed term. This model regime should then be given some targets to achieve and a full report should be published at the end of the term. If people witness a change in the right direction, an open and fair election will result in re-election of these honest people and with gradual transition to true democracy, the country will eventually get rid of rotten politicians. How this could happen is wishful thinking but something that can be tried through amendment in law or whatever way it may be possible. The other routes are devious and full of thorns.
(The writer is a Professor of Psychiatry at Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada)