I have been trying to write the article below for a while now but the unfortunate Peshawar incident dispersed all the concentration and hence the process got delayed for a bit. The article highlights some aspects of Imran Khans personality that usually get overlooked by many of us. Please read and share with others. It will soon appear on Insaf.pk and PTI official FB page. (Also a nicely written Urdu translation is welcomed from a volunteer amongst you) Many Thanks :) ........................................... Khans legacy If theres anything we Pakistanis share equally after our green passports, it is our love for Imran Khan as a cricket legend. Im also fully convinced that from Khyber to Karachi, theres no question over IKs selfless struggle for initiating and completing two almost impossible projects in Pakistan - Cancer Hospital and Namal University. I was only 10 years old when Imran Khan stepped into practical politics. Like most Pakistanis I grew up believing that politicians are liars, looters or some as evil villains. That Politics was a dirty business and I should stay away from it. The private school I attended was a Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) influenced institution. That means alongside my English and Science subjects, I also had to learn about the teachings and the philosophy of Abul Ala Moudodi. With all due respect to the followers of Moudodiat, now that I have read enough about Moudoodis philosophy, I seriously think both his and JIs way of looking at the world is quite narrow, exclusive and intolerant. Islamic ideology, on the contrary is quite broad, inclusive and much more tolerant. So with all this going on, to tell you the truth, I never bothered paying much attention to what Imran Khans politics was all about until the media revolution swept over Pakistan in Musharrafs era back in 2001-2002. I remember IK talking about 9/11 and War on terror in a TV Talk Show. The liberal inside me found IK speaking my own thoughts regarding the Musharrafs decision of sending troops to the Tribal area. Without using conventional clever political language, IK talked in a tone and a language that touched my heart. After I heard him on a few more occasions I realised that the ideal muslim super-hero character I read about in Naseem Hijazis books, Iqbals poems and Jameeat literature at school was not Moudoodi, Mian Tufail or Qazi Hussain, in fact it was Imran Khan. I started regularly following IKs talk show appearances, interviews, public speeches. I read nearly everything written either by Khan himself or by other authors about him. I wanted to know more about Imran Khan, beyond the realms of our infatuation with his cricketing success or his philanthropic past. What I discovered was not simply mind blowing, it changed my life forever. Khan is a timeless inspiration for the Pakistani youth Khans personality is a wonderful blend of spirituality and practicality and hes equally successful on both fronts. On one hand hes a resilient sportsman and on the other hand we see him graduating from Oxford. Hes considered to be the life of London late night social gatherings but at the same time he has the strength of character and moral standing to help an MTV star in finding the much needed peace in her life and finally helping her revert to Islam. I found Imran Khan a deeply spiritual person - a 21st century Saint with no beard. He is not a religious scholar but I learnt more about Islam and Islamic history from Imran Khan than I ever learnt from any Islamic Scholar. Imran Khan helped me re-visit my faith in my Creator. I discovered that for a true believing muslim theres no such thing as self-confidence rather its always confidence in the One who controls our affairs. I started questioning the foundation of my beliefs, the purpose of my existence and my responsibilities towards those who are not as lucky and privileged as I am. I learnt never to let my mistakes hold me back but instead to accept where I went wrong, learn from it and move on in life. One of the most beautiful things I learnt about Khans life is his idealistic view of the world. Looking at Khans audacity, Im fully convinced that if I have faith in God and work hard, I can achieve anything in life. Nothing can defeat me unless I accept my own failure. Ive learnt how to overcome my fears and Im not afraid to take risks anymore. I find myself selfless. Imran Khan helped me realize that being rich is merely a state of mind I can achieve not just by being financially rich, but through the strength of my character, by being real, staying positive and helping others with whatever I have. By reading IKs book I learnt that I will get more respect when I stand up for my rights and that whichever part of the world I live in I should be proud of my Identity as a Muslim and as a Pakistani. If I keep pretending to be someone that Im not, not only will I lose my originality and self-esteem but I may possibly end up being looked down upon by those I was trying to emulate in the first place. Imran Khan taught me that the basic purpose of the existence of human life and the only genuine source of happiness in life is to help other human beings whenever I can. We are not animals whose only purpose in life is to look after themselves. Humans were created with an inborn desire to help and support other humans. Imran Khan changed my view of politics. I now think of politics more as a selfless struggle rather than a selfish and ruthless quest for power. As a responsible citizen, I feel that understanding politics will give me the awareness I need to make well informed choices when its time to cast my vote and I now understand the true spirit of democracy. A genuine democracy is the only means of attaining long term economic prosperity and with that we can empower the weak and poor of the country. The only reason democracy hasnt flourished in Pakistan is because the powerful ruling elite are still recovering from the hangover of colonialism and see themselves as superior beings licensed to treat the majority as their subjects. Khan is a selfless Nationalist I dont think there is anybody more Pakistani than Imran Khan. He cares about Pakistan. Pakistan is his only passion. His failed marriage and his decision to enter politics proves this. Most recently we all saw how he sacrificed 126 days of his life struggling to make us Pakistanis realize the sanctity and significance of our vote. His relentless efforts finally took the shape of country-wide lockdown strikes, all in order to maintain pressure on the government so a full audit of the May 2013 elections could be carried out and those responsible for rigging could be punished. Unfortunately, on December 16th, when IK and PTI were very close to achieving the end goal of a long fought political battle, a national tragedy struck Pakistan as terrorists stormed a school in Peshawar and massacred 132 children in cold blood. The incident soon resulted in a national outrage against one common enemy - the deep rooted extremism in our society. During the 4 months he spent in his container in Islamabad, the government tried all of its diplomacy tactics hoping Khan would compromise his mission and give in. They even used force and of his many followers some were killed either by the government itself or by government backed gangsters. He was blamed by the social elite for destroying the peace and misguiding the youth. He was criticized by the so called Intellectuals of the country for being desperate for power. He was ridiculed by government sponsored media houses, calling him the leader of a disillusioned mob but nothing broke IKs resolve and he continued his struggle for justice. After the Peshawar horrific incident, understanding the national sentiment, like a true populist leader, IK immediately called off his plans for further strikes across the country. Later that evening in his final speech to the Dharna gathering in Islamabad IK announced he would finish his 126 day long Dhahra for the sake of national unity and assured the government of his full support in tackling terrorism and extremism. IK explained that what happened in Peshawar transcended all other political priorities. It further strengthened my conviction that all Imran Khan cares about is his people and his country. If he had any selfish motives behind his efforts he would have never sacrificed his 126 day long struggle over an incident that could have easily been used as another example of the ruling governments incompetence and failed policies. Instead IK decided to support the government as a matter of national interest. Khan is a visionary Being an overseas Pakistanis, I see a practical demonstration of IKs vision of Naya Pakistan everyday. I see a society based on justice, merit and rule of law. I see the state taking responsibility to protect the rights of its weak and poor. I see tax evaders being punished. I see parliamentarians being held accountable for their earnings and spendings. Its not hard for me to picture what Naya Pakistan will look like. The struggle for Naya Pakistan is not only Khans struggle. Its our struggle. Khan can never accomplish this dream unless we all make it our dream too and work together towards realizing it one day Inshallah. I cant wait to see Pakistan, as a welfare state based on the priceless Islamic values of love, peace, justice and compassion. Pakistan Zindabad! Farooq Shah
Posted on: Tue, 23 Dec 2014 20:02:13 +0000
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