I strongly disagree with the OP.
You just can't compare Pakistan with Singapore. While Lee Kuan Yew was a fantastic leader in bring Singapore up the world stage, it was the culture of hard work and discipline within the people here that majorly brought it to where it was. On the other hand, Pakistan has one of the most patriotic people you would ever see. But when it comes to hard work and discipline, it's not something Pakistanis are associated with. If Imran Khan had done the same to PIA, it would have taken quadruple the effort to set it up as SIA did. Most Singaporeans, on the other hand, would have supported the decision of the government. Yet, Pakistan would most likely have disagreements not only within its people but its own party members. This is not forgetting the fact that Pakistan has poor government policies and regulations.
Lee Kuan Yew could rule with an iron fist, because of the geographic size of the nation which allows him to easily implement and enforce the law. This is almost impossible in Pakistan, where households each have a gun to take the law into their own hands. Pakistan is also a place where politics is more apparent than people coming together. This is where Imran Khan's role as a leader is very important. He has to ensure that he plays this out smartly. If Imran Khan starts to rule with an iron first, he will lose his popularity and turn public opinion against him and his party, whom he had to work 20 years to achieve. This not only applies within Pakistan as a nation but external forces from the world stage too.
However, what Imran Khan is doing now, I feel, is the best he could under the circumstances. He has sure taken his time but has slowly surprised us with his decisions ( E.g. Nawaz arrest, Kashmir's offensive diplomacy, taking steps to tackle corruption). Now let's look at another recent scenario where he has displayed critical thinking and decision making. After Balakot attacks, it was a no-brainer for him to go offensive, and a lot of Pakistanis were criticizing him for not retaliating initially. Yet, this man held his nerve and waited a couple of days before acting. It was this rational thinking of this that brought us not only a military victory but a diplomatic victory on the world stage. Imran Khan's natural instinct, is to think rationally before acting, a rare trait here in most Pakistanis like us who react with emotions. If he had chosen to attack immediately, it may have invited fury and further embarrassment as the element of surprise is lacking. The situation would most likely have gone south.
Conclusively, an iron-fist leader is not a leader Pakistan needs due to the aforementioned circumstances. Pakistan needs a leader, who is able to make a rational decision, in the interests of the country. With 200 million people from different cultures and ethnicities, he needs to keep them united through fair decisions. As the saying goes, a true leader is one who does not make a popular decision, but the right one. In my opinion, Imran Khan is the only leader we have right now to pull us up. Even if I am ever wrong about this in the future, it would still not change my stance, that he was worth giving a chance.
