There is a speculation as well as uncertainty about the future of Imran Khan in Pakistani politics. People trust him with money but would they give him vote is a crucial question. It depends on the people around him. He is competing against the worst crooks and cons in the world some of them has the history of selling themselves to the highest bidders both foreigners and local.
Pakistani politicians have started their ‘dirty campaign’ against Imran Khan. The most important challenge and question for Mr Khan is how he is going to handle this nasty campaign? We all live and learn don’t we? As far as Mr Khan is concerned people are not sure if he has or still going through a learning curve? Some one said, ‘to fight this nasty campaign Mr Khan need to keep his pants and sleeves up’. I don’t know him personally but met him twice and have one phone conversation in the past three years. But I do know people who know him well. He has a common friend in London who is currently servicing former dictator General Perevez Musharaf.
No doubt Imran Khan gets media coverage in the UK and elsewhere for various reasons. Pakistani media does give him more time and bit lenient too. Politicians always handle media with care as a small mistake or mishandling could gravely damage long term.
In the context of media relations reportedly Dr Fozia Sadiq one of PTI’s senior party activists and research scholar recently wrote to Imran Khan several times, but he did not reply her back which is very rude, unprofessional as well as arrogant? If Mr Khan like British ponds and dollars for his projects than he should have courtesy to respect the one who are fighting his corner abroad.
Dr Fozia Sadiq was only asking about the role, party position and relationship of Ms Rabia Zia with the PTI. Ms Zia has been an active member of PTI but reportedly got into friction with an international news channel in London. We don’t know the reasons of last minute cancellation of the pre arranged interview of Imran Khan with Iranian news channel. All we know is that Ms Zia cancelled it last minute and poor producer got very upset. Imran Khan stays in the annexe of Lady Annabel widow of Sir James Goldsmith a member of respected Jewish and pro Israeli family. Imran Khan probably did not want to upset his host by inviting an Iranian TV crew to her house? I called and left a message to get Ms Zia’s perspective but did not receive any reply.
Few years ago a senior political analyst and friend asked me to see him and forwarded me an email from Hennery Jackson Society, a right wing think tank, which was doing a program in the Houses of Commons on War on Terror. I attended the program asked him a short question of which he gave a long answer. His long answers to short questions clearly depicted that he is not been briefed and/or don’t have a good media and research teams, and even if he got a research team Mr Khan is not reading himself and/or paying attention. Probably he thinks ‘Imran Khan’ brand is enough to sell in politics. It could be true for the people around him who are selling him as a ‘brand’ but it does not work like that in real politics.
What Imran Khan really need is good paid professional media and research teams which brief him and other core members everyday. He needs to learn the skill of how to give short answers to the long questions without missing the point.
I do hear about his frequent visits to London and meetings with only ‘chosen ones’ at his former mother in law Lady Annabel’s annexe in Richmond. During one of these visits two of his party activists Dr Naveeed and Ahmad Raza Chohan went to see him at his former mother in law’s residence and ‘quite rudely’ took the liberty and went to his private room. Obviously Mr Khan got furious and kicked them out of the house. After this incident they told other party members that, ‘Mr Khan insulted them in front of Ms Rabia Zia, her sister Sobia Zia and a businessman’. It was probably an inner core meeting which these gentlemen have gate crashed?
While talking to the writer Dr Naveed denied that any such incident took place while Ahmad Raza Chohan was more honest and admitted his mistake of turning up without prior appointment, going into private section and barging into the meeting.
I think apology of Mr Chohan is reasonable in the circumstances. However, if Imran Khan is using his former mother in law’s annexe as party meeting point and/or conducting party meetings, he should sign post areas in question ‘as private’ so people don’t go into his bed room. These two PTI activists are very well educated people and must have taken the liberty seeing a precedent as if they can do it so can we.
I have been to No: 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the British Prime Minister many times and have seen that on each floor a member of staff guiding the visitors so people don’t wonder around or get lost.
Imran Khan is no exception in having a typical Pakistani politician’s mentality or could it be people’s fault as they go too far in their hospitality? A typical Pakistani politician will always arrive late in the meeting, some times hours and expect every one to visit him where ever he is and also provide pick and drop taxi service to him.
These attitudes need to change. It is true that people trust Imran Khan with their money and give charity to his projects. But what about people who are running their own projects under the shadow of Imran Khan and could have been involved in some kind of financial corruption?
Imran Khan’s PTI in UK is not exception and/or immune to groupings within the party. Though PTI have large number of young professionals and educated members but most of them don’t know anything about their party policies and its infrastructure. PTI UK’s founding members like Shahid Dastgir Khan and other are either sidelined or probably they have excused themselves. There is no elected body of PTI exists in UK and some people are running it like a family business? No one knows when PTI UK is going to have elections within the party and how long the election process will last?
PTI in the UK is divided into many groups and sub groups. Some of the members feel that Imran Khan has been either hijacked or being blackmailed by a group planted by Karachi Mafia.
They are obviously trained cons and been part of the so called corrupt elite of Pakistan, which Mr Khan is finding difficult to get rid off. He was good at this in the past but it seems now some one else is holding his ‘crystal ball’ and future.
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