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For 20 yrs, Imran Khan had a dream. When he became PM, we got goats, cows & broken economy

Blaming Pakistan’s former leaders for the problems of the last 19 months makes for good prime-time news, but in reality, Imran Khan's rhetoric is slowly dying.

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Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan announced last month that the country’s economic apocalypse was ending. Earlier this week, he promised that the electricity and gas tariffs will not be hiked.  But even as the prime minister made such tall claims, a series of negative developments unfolded soon after: the Pakistan Stock Exchange recorded the biggest decline in 10 years Monday, the US dollar jumped to Rs 158 and the prices of gold skyrocketed. Not to forget the food inflation that has been adversely impacting people on a daily basis for months now.

So, whenever your PM says things are getting back on track, aapne ghabrana nahin hai because more difficulties are on their way.

After all, other than Pakistan, there is no country in the world that has been blessed with 12 seasons, according to PM Khan. I feel bad for the rest of the world, though, that only gets to enjoy quarter of what we have or not. The eight extra seasons in Naya Pakistan are the seasons of cluelessness. Regardless, barra mausam is a breakthrough worth considering PM Khan for the Nobel Prize.


Also read: Imran Khan’s Naya Pakistan is becoming Naya North Korea


Not so-good times ahead

Khan’s reassurance that good times are ahead don’t impact even the employees of Pakistan Secretariat who work right next to the PM. The government secretariat staff observed a pen-down strike last week at the Constitution Avenue over the delay in pay raises. They complain that the staff of PM Office and civil servants in other departments get higher salaries than them. Only if they knew the prime minister himself can’t run his house with his salary.

Ever since Imran Khan has been on the trail of becoming the prime minister, all that we’ve heard are the promises of rivers of milk and honey flowing in Pakistan. But how those rivers were to flow, even Khan’s selectors didn’t know. One would have expected that if for 20 years Imran Khan’s dream was to become the prime minister, then some homework on how to run the country would have been done. But that’s the thing about dharna politics, it doesn’t necessarily mean that your half-baked ideas and political sloganeering can help you run the country. The two ‘Cs’ — cricket and charity — haven’t worked wonders for the selectors either.


Also read: Imran Khan is done being the PM of Pakistan. He now wants to worry about India all the time


Everything, even rhetoric, has a shelf life

The question is: For how long the rhetoric against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, former president Asif Zardari and the prominent leaders of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) would work for PM Imran Khan? There is a shelf life for everything, even political rhetoric.

To call your political rivals corrupt, to make promises of bringing back looted money of the awam worked well during Khan’s kaptaan days on top of a shipping container but not anymore. You jailed them, you couldn’t prove a thing against the likes of ex-PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi or ex-interior minister Ahsan Iqbal. What’s more is that the Imran Khan government did not bring even one rupee of the looted money back.

PM Khan can continue to call his rivals chordaku, ‘corrupt’ but the bad news is, it isn’t working anymore. The common man doesn’t care about the chors of the past but just wants the current PM to deliver on all his promises. He/she wants to know why there is a sugar and wheat crisis in the country, something which benefits politicians on PM Khan’s team.

Blaming Pakistan’s former leaders for the problems of the last 19 months makes for good prime-time TV news, but in the real world the rhetoric is dying a slow death and PM Khan will take any opportunity to revive it. So, the latest desire of the PM to bring back Nawaz Sharif from London is another attempt at diverging from the issue of the government’s incompetence and how it tanked the country’s financial system. PM Khan’s obsession with media optics is more important than delivery in office.


Also read: Pakistan’s long-ailing democracy is now completely dead, thanks to its political parties


Goats and charas can’t revive economy 

To be fair, Khan has tried everything in his playbook to revive Pakistan’s economy. He waited for a miracle discovery of gas and oil treasures in Pakistan, but that didn’t happen. He relied on sheep, buffaloes and goats for an economic revolution in the country.

Just a few days back, PM Khan rolled out a new scheme under which every woman will be given one cow, one buffalo and three goats. But did the PM, before announcing this move, ever ask himself if there are enough cows, buffaloes and goats in Pakistan for every family? On to the latest endeavour of relying on honeybees, berry plants and now olive gardens, Imran Khan thinks these measures can make him provide 10 million jobs his government once promised.

When it comes to entrepreneurial flop shows, Imran Khan and his ministers are high on talent. Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry wants to transform the Prime Minister House into a state-of-the-art university, fulfilling the PTI election promise. Then there is Narcotics Control Minister Shehryar Afridi who recently announced that PM Khan wishes to open a factory in Tirah, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa that will turns charas into medicines. Well, he actually said it. This is the planning of 20 years that secured Imran Khan’s place on the prime minister’s seat.

The author is a freelance journalist from Pakistan. Her Twitter handle is @nailainayat. Views are personal.

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21 COMMENTS

  1. Everyone knows the credibility of Naila Anayat and who she she is trying to please.
    In October 2019, for the first time in 4 years Pak’s recent CA turned into surplus. Current Account balance was +99million in oct 2019. In Oct 2018 it was in deficit of -1.28$ billion.
    In Oct2019 exports of goods and services rose 20% over previous months and 9.6% over October 2018.
    First 4 months of fiscal year’s CA deficit has fallen by 73.5% compared to last year.
    Ease of Doing Business Index (2020) Pakistan jumps up 28 places on World Bank Index.
    Trade Data: Oct2019, Exports rose 6.75%. Trade deficit came down to 29.43%. From July to October 19 exports went up 3.8% and trade deficit was brought down to 33.5%..

  2. This happens with you worship your idols, people are blaming writers but they do not see the incompetency of Imran khan. Imran khan himself used to say when there is a hike in price it means the government is corrupted, now this theory apply for him too, all these years he thought running country is as easy as leading a cricket team, he didn’t do any homework, certainly the economic crisis didn’t happen in one day, Imran khan didnot know about the financial situation of the country? why he was not prepared how to tackle it down. It doesn’t mean Newaz Sharif or Zardari were better, they are the worse no doubt about it but Imran Khan was our last hope, we thought he is the answer to all our problem bus abhi tou allah hi negeban hai.

  3. Writer seems to be a paid duck of some opposition party. Atleast Mr. Khan is trying everything possible (as u have mentioned few) to revive the economy which was in shambles. He don’t have any magic wand to take Pakistan’s economy on top in a snap of finger, when i say in a snap of finger i mean these opposition parties have looted Pakistan for more than 20 years and turned it into a bankrupt nation & to add that system of adminstration in govt offices they have appointed & which inturn the fraud and corrupt work culture developed in Pakistan, it is gonna take years together to revive it as it is a gradual process. But he seems to be the only person in Pakistan who can do it. Few of his schemes you have mentioned in your article with an intention of insulting him are the only remedies of reviving the economy, it seems little things to a layman but on national level these schemes yield so much in a long run. Instead of taking loans from IMF & World bank and imposing sanctions on nation & then looting that money by themselves & by their pets in party and administration atleast he has honest intention vision about the future of Pakistan not considering the short term goals of loan and looting. Finally the Shut up call for a biased writer from Indian Occupied Kashmir.

  4. the writer is on the pay roll of anti Pakistan corrupt criminal mafia who have unscrupulous looted and plundered the country’s resources and destroyed every govt institution of the country with impunity

  5. The writer has personal vendettas, prejudice against Imran Khan. As the old saying goes, little knowledge is dangerous. MAY I ask the writer — is there any corruption case whether true, false against Imran khan? Does anyone in the history of Pakistan cricket has made us won the world cup? I think 1992 world cup is the first and would be the last won by Pakistan. Now lets move forward. It seems the writer is amateur and novice. The rhetoric agianst former premiers is for a reason. After Musharraf departure, the rupee started to fall. During the last 20 years, both the previous governments looted the country. Does Imran has big palaces outside Pakistan. NO. Former Nawaz son has… where the looted money came from? Heaven or pakistan wealth? Please answer. The writer daid khan can not revive the economy. Does the prevoius governments revived the economy? The bottom line — the writer is a complete idoit and making her own judgment instead of seeing the reality. YES, the common man also cares about the past government misdemeanours and corruption. They should not only be jailed but hanged for making the country bankrupt. The body pieces must be given the dogs to eat. The punishment must serve as a paradigm for the rest of the society to follow law and order.

    • 1992 world cup? HAHAHA sometimes I feel sorry for Youthias like Antony. World is coming to an end and you are stuck with your stunted ideals about Imran Khan.

      The truth is, as very rightly argued by Naila Inayat, Imran Khan has failed on every front. For 20 years he sold “korruption choraan” but never planned what he’ll do when in government. you talk about Musharraf whom Imran just helped to in high treason case only to save his own seat. How will you defend that and 100s of corrupt ppl in PTI who’re now close to Imran because they are his ATMs. Get out your fool’s paradise.

      Whenever anyone critically analyzes this joker prime minister it becomes personal Vendetta for the likes of Antony. I would say – MORE POWER TO YOUR PEN NAILA. Keep hitting them where it hurts more.

    • The writer is not from Pakistan. All you need to do is type the name into google. If you are incapable of doing even that, you may need a mental re-evaluation.

  6. Naila holding truth to power as always. Love her style. enjoyed the part about 12 seasons and charas industry. 20 ys Imran khan thought these things only 😁

    • Nothing surprising Sir, what is good is universally good. The effort of the writer is to put the looking glass forward so that everyone can see the images. To believe or not is dependent on oneself.

  7. Former President openly stated in Parliament last year that the world is well aware that the democracy in Pakistan is tailor made democracy and that the PM is selected and not elected.

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