Imran Khan appears to be competing with Kim Kardashian’s 2021 Met Gala look, where she was covered head-to-toe in a black Balenciaga outfit, complete with a full face covering. The former Pakistan prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief turned up at an anti-terrorism court in Lahore on 4 April with his head encased in what appeared to be an overturned bucket-like contraption.
It may just become the new headgear of choice and take the fashion world by storm. But Imran’s bucket is more than a sartorial statement—some reports suggest that the contraption is a ‘bulletproof helmet’ to protect his temples.
But people opting for this headgear will need dedicated guides to help them walk. Clear vision is a challenge. Fortunately, Imran had no shortage of willing helpers.
With his hand on the ex-PM’s shoulder, one man could be seen guiding him through security barricades, while another — seemingly a security personnel — was holding Imran’s hand while directing him into the court.
And in the event that the bucket failed to protect him from bullets, the 70–year-old leader had the added protection of a wall of party workers and commandos holding up bulletproof shields.
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‘Marshmello copied Imran’
Amused by the sight of Imran walking around with an ‘overturned bucket’ on his head, many in Pakistan and around the world couldn’t help but draw parallels between him and American DJ Christopher Comstock — Marshmello — who wears a signature helmet during all public appearances.
“According to Pakistani lockdown kids, Marshmello copied Imran Khan’s Style,” wrote one Twitter user. Another suggested using a contraption that would make him look like a character from the Transformers franchise.
Mocking Imran for wearing the ‘bulletproof helmet’, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Khushbu Sundar wrote on Twitter: “The neighbours house in disarray, a bucket on the head of their ex PM to protect from possible head shots. Just to remind, we became free at the same time. What matters is the fundamental principles upon which the nation is built – love and not hate!”
The 70-year-old faces 37 cases filed against him by various agencies in different parts of the country. These include five cases filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan in connection with alleged foreign funding and using inappropriate language against the poll panel and its chairman.
Imran’s security was beefed up after he survived an ‘assassination attempt’ during a rally in Wazirabad in Pakistan’s Punjab province last November. According to Dawn, a “special contingent of commandos from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa” took charge of his security following the purported attack.
But the comical portrait of Imran walking toward the anti-terrorism court with an ‘overturned bucket’ on his head can perhaps be best summed up with the term ‘Jack in the box’. The term was first used by English Puritan preacher John Foxe in the 16th century to describe a swindler who duped traders by selling them empty boxes in place of what was advertised.
The Astonishing Saga of Imran Khan
Fame, if not fortune, is following Imran these days. He will grace the May cover of Time magazine, which has already published an interview with him online.
But his supporters have been attacking the magazine for the cover story it did on the former PM in its latest edition. In its cover story titled ‘The Astonishing Saga of Imran Khan’, the magazine analysed the political turmoil prevailing in Pakistan and the road ahead for Imran.
(Edited by Zoya Bhatti)