‘I was a playboy’ — Imran Khan rings in the new year with fresh controversy

While Khan was making allegations about Gen Bajwa’s 'set-up' remaining in the establishment to prevent him and his PTI from returning to power, the 'playboy' label stood out.

File photo of former Pakistan PM Imran Khan. | ANI

New Delhi: Two weeks after courting a controversy over purported sex tapes leaked online, former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan kicked off 2023 by acknowledging that he used to be a “playboy”. 

Khan brought it up as a part of critical remarks against former Pakistan army chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa. As reported by Dawn, Khan claimed the general had called him a playboy during their last meeting. “In reply, I told him, yes, I had been a playboy.”

While Khan was making broader allegations about Gen. Bajwa’s “set-up” remaining in the Pakistani establishment with the purpose of preventing him and his party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) from returning to power, the “playboy” label stood out in the eyes of both his supporters and detractors.

Imran Khan openly admitting “Yes I was a playboy” and people praising him “Shehzada mera” girls drooling over him “Haye Meray sath bhi ho jao playboy” while forgetting the fact that if it was a woman politician saying it, that she dated boys…that was it for her.

— Ali Raza (@shezanmango) January 2, 2023

 

“Mai Playboy tha
Mai Gunahegar tha
Mai na tu kabhi nhi kaha mai farishta tha”

Imran Khan is fearless that’s why youth of Pakistan loves him and all hypocrites scare of him.
pic.twitter.com/0bJ9Fo48it

— Tehseen Bajwa (@TBajwa7) January 2, 2023

This is perhaps because it is not the first time the former PM has found himself at the centre of public or media controversies over off-colour comments. 

Some of these remarks date back decades to his days as a cricketer for Pakistan, such as his alleged statement that Pathans traditionally “go south” to India for “their women” during a magazine interview when asked about his rumoured relationship with a Bollywood actress.

However, most of the comments were made during his political career in the years leading up to, and during, his rise to power as PM, especially on issues such as violence against women. 

In January 2020, Khan had laid the blame on Bollywood and Hollywood for the increase in sex crimes in Pakistan at the time, as well as the “breakdown of the family system”. 

Khan doubled down on his view the following year, appearing to blame rape victims for their choice of clothing in April and holding “misuse of mobile phones” responsible for rising sex crimes in the country in August. 

As previously reported by ThePrint, Khan was lambasted both by Pakistanis as well as by public figures overseas, including by his ex-wife Jemima Goldsmith, for allegedly perpetuating misogynistic mindsets. 

The former PM has also been under fire for making apparent generalisations against the Pakistani Pashtun community. In October 2021, just a few months after the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, Khan drew a link between Pashtun ethnic nationalism and growing support for the Taliban in Afghanistan as well as for the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).  

According to Radio Free Europe, Pashtun nationalist public figures such as former Pakistan senator Afrasiab Khattak and National Assembly member Mohsin Dawar had hit out at Khan for his comments, calling on him to apologise.    

(Edited by Smriti Sinha)