Imran Khan's greatest challenge: Making Pakistan Muslim again
Who would have thought it? Imran Khan has been elected prime minister of Pakistan. My first thought was: being the most important person of a nation isn't exactly easy but being the leader of a country like Pakistan is even more difficult. As much as I adore Pakistan, I couldn't handle the pressure.
But Imran Khan can handle the pressure. He, at least, has the ability to find an answer to Pakistan's most pressing problem which is the question of identity. To tell you right away: I am not talking about nation building. Pakistan is already an existing nation. Pakistan is built. In fact, Pakistan is much more successful than its artificial neighbor New Delhi; unlike India, Pakistan's foundation is solid.
However, the Pakistanis need to address some outstanding questions and I think that Imran Khan could provide answers.
For instance, almost all of Pakistan would deny that the Pakistani state and its institutions (military, parliament, government etc.) are secular even though they are. Most of the people in the Islamic world mix up the concept of statehood and nationhood. Yes, the Pakistani nation is Muslim but the Pakistani state isn't.
Actually, the very concept of a modern state is Western and secular to the core which is ironic for the simple reason that those people who reject this argument are usually the same people who are big fans of the Ottoman Empire. And this is the reason why to this day, many groups within the nationalistic political spectrum in Turkey struggle to accept the Ottoman past - partly because the Ottomans defined the nation ("millet") as a confessional community. Muslims regardless of their ethnicity were one millet, Christians were another.
The only Ottomans left are Indians
What about Pakistan? It is a nation or millet? The answer is clear to me. Pakistanis are a modern nation state and the sole heirs of the Indus Civilization whereas India is a millet state. However, those in Pakistan, who are celebrating the Ottoman Empire and modern-day Islamic Pakistan at the same time, should ask the question why they call themselves Pakistani in the first place. Pakistan is alien to the concept of millet. The leaders and founding fathers of Pakistan like Muhammad Ali Jinnah, Allama Muhammad Iqbal, Aga Khan III., Liaquat Ali Khan etc. wanted Pakistan to be the home of Muslims in British India. The currently prevailing Islamic globalist attitudes in parts of the Pakistani society do not reflect the philosophy behind the movement that had led to the formation of Pakistan.
This is why India's "Muslim personal law" is a modern variation of the Ottoman millet system while Pakistan itself doesn't apply the millet system due to the simple fact of being a specific nation. Accepting the Islamic millet systems means saying no to the idea of Pakistan. In addition, we should not forget that the Ottoman Empire collapsed because of its artificial social composition. Since its establishment, India is suffering from the exact same illnesses as the Ottoman Empire during its existence.
To put it this way:
There is nothing Pakistani, if Pakistan is solely Islamic; Pakistan only exists because its a Muslim nation. The Ottoman Empire was neither a modern state nor a modern nation - it was just ummah, thus, ceased to exist.
Pakistanis waving the Ottoman flag, emphasizing Islamic Pakistan instead of a Muslim Pakistan and prioritizing the Ummah should be aware of these facts. The nation is the vase that is filled with Islamic values; Muslims are hold together by their respective nations. Without a national framing, global terror groups will continue to abuse Muslims by calling themselves Islamic. One cannot deny that what is making Pakistan Pakistan are the boundaries in the East to India and in the West to Afghanistan.
Therefore I believe that making Pakistan a Muslim nation is Imran's biggest task.
Opinions?
P.S.: Please don't get mad. These are just some thoughts. My intention is not to hurt anybody's feeling. I love, respect and cherish Pakistan and everything that is Pakistani, which includes you. : )
