Safriz
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Prime Minister Imran Khan would be no friend of the West
Since Imran Khan switched to politics in 1996, the Pakistani superstar cricketer's Tehreek-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice, MJP) party has been a one-man band nibbling at the periphery of Pakistani politics. But late last year he addressed huge political rallies both in Lahore and Karachi. All available evidence now suggests the Pakistani military has adopted Khan as its preferred candidate.
In November Khan was in China as Beijing's guest. Given their very close ties, it is most unlikely that China would not have consulted the Pakistani army before inviting him.
Late last year, Air Marshal Asghar Khan merged the Tehreek-i-Istiqlal party with Khan's party.
Many politicians from the People's Political Party (PPP) and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's Muslim league (PML-N) have joined Khan's party, including former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. There are reports that many sitting parliamentarians of PPP, PML-N and former president General Musharaff's PML-Q party are also eager to join Khan.
Should these trends continue, then Khan will either have an absolute majority after the next election, or will emerge as one of three central players. So what kind of Prime Minister would he be?
This question is relevant here because Australian forces are fighting the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan. Australia also runs the second-biggest training program for the Pakistani army.
After early schooling in Pakistani Christian schools, Khan was educated in Britain at the Royal Grammar School (Worcester) and Oxford University. When not playing cricket for Pakistan, he lived in England. He married English heiress Jemima Goldsmith. The marriage lasted eight years and their two sons live with her in England.
Do these facts mean he would be sympathetic to the Western viewpoint? It seems unlikely. If Khan's speeches are a clue then he appears to be one of the most virulently anti-American and anti-Western politicians in Pakistan today.
Khan is reportedly very close to General Hamid Gul, a venomously anti-Western former head of Pakistan's intelligence agency, the ISI. General Gul oversaw the recruitment, training, and provision of funds and safe houses to the mujahideen during Moscow's occupation of Afghanistan. Later he played a central role in the emergence of the Taliban. He reportedly continues to maintain strong ties with the Taliban and also with such terrorist organisations as al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and the Haqqani network.
General Gul's ideology and pro-Wahabbist leanings continue to dominate the thinking of most of the ISI and Pakistani armed forces officers.
Imran Khan has inherited this anti-Western attitude from his political mentor. Khan never criticised the rule of General Zia-ul-Haq, a close ally of General Gul and equally responsible for Pakistan's Talibanisation.
Khan is close to Qazi Hussain Ahmed, a prominent Taliban and Haqqani network sympathiser and ex-president of Pakistan's biggest Islamist party, the Jamaat-e-Islami. Khan has often spoken at his rallies.
Khan supported Musharraf's coup against Nawaz Sharif. Musharraf at one stage was willing to appoint Khan to his cabinet. But Khan reportedly wanted the position of prime minister. When his demand was declined, Khan refused the ministry.
Khan lambasted the US for its operation against Osama bin Laden but failed to ask how bin Laden had been living in Abbottabad, a garrison town run by the Pakistani army.
Similarly, he reacted indifferently to the targeted assassination in Quetta of police surgeon Syed Baqir Shah who testified that five unarmed Western tourists were killed by bullets fired by the police/security agents, or to that of Syed Saleem Shahzad, a journalist writing a story about the extent of al-Qaeda's infiltration of the Pakistani navy. He never misses an opportunity to criticise the US but has remained silent on the Taliban's atrocities.
Khan has often talked about improving the lot of ordinary citizens and creating jobs for the young (his largest support base), but never mentions that this goal will remain illusory unless the military's budget is cut at least by half.
The Pakistani army also likes Khan because he is untainted by corruption, something that suits the present national mood.
It is worth recalling the military has never liked the Bhutto family or PPP. Zia made Sharif Prime Minister: the military feels betrayed by him because he tried to sack Musharraf.
Khan is also politically inexperienced and, therefore, someone who could perhaps be easily manipulated.
All these developments point towards greater political instability in Pakistan and the continuing dominance of Pakistani politics by its military.
Vidya S. Sharma is a Melbourne-based adviser on risk management and inter-country joint ventures.
Read more: Prime Minister Imran Khan would be no friend of the West
---------- Post added at 10:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:23 PM ----------
Its an Indian-Australiam being Paranoid......He is unaware that Imran Khan knows the west Inside out and had a western wife who was not a lowly shop worker he met,but was from one of the most wealthy and powerful family of Britain...
Imran wont be a puppet of the west and thats what the people of Pakistan want,but this will surely upset the west...
Lets see what they do about this.
Since Imran Khan switched to politics in 1996, the Pakistani superstar cricketer's Tehreek-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice, MJP) party has been a one-man band nibbling at the periphery of Pakistani politics. But late last year he addressed huge political rallies both in Lahore and Karachi. All available evidence now suggests the Pakistani military has adopted Khan as its preferred candidate.
In November Khan was in China as Beijing's guest. Given their very close ties, it is most unlikely that China would not have consulted the Pakistani army before inviting him.
Late last year, Air Marshal Asghar Khan merged the Tehreek-i-Istiqlal party with Khan's party.
Many politicians from the People's Political Party (PPP) and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif's Muslim league (PML-N) have joined Khan's party, including former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi. There are reports that many sitting parliamentarians of PPP, PML-N and former president General Musharaff's PML-Q party are also eager to join Khan.
Should these trends continue, then Khan will either have an absolute majority after the next election, or will emerge as one of three central players. So what kind of Prime Minister would he be?
This question is relevant here because Australian forces are fighting the Taliban insurgency in Afghanistan. Australia also runs the second-biggest training program for the Pakistani army.
After early schooling in Pakistani Christian schools, Khan was educated in Britain at the Royal Grammar School (Worcester) and Oxford University. When not playing cricket for Pakistan, he lived in England. He married English heiress Jemima Goldsmith. The marriage lasted eight years and their two sons live with her in England.
Do these facts mean he would be sympathetic to the Western viewpoint? It seems unlikely. If Khan's speeches are a clue then he appears to be one of the most virulently anti-American and anti-Western politicians in Pakistan today.
Khan is reportedly very close to General Hamid Gul, a venomously anti-Western former head of Pakistan's intelligence agency, the ISI. General Gul oversaw the recruitment, training, and provision of funds and safe houses to the mujahideen during Moscow's occupation of Afghanistan. Later he played a central role in the emergence of the Taliban. He reportedly continues to maintain strong ties with the Taliban and also with such terrorist organisations as al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Lashkar-e-Jhangvi and the Haqqani network.
General Gul's ideology and pro-Wahabbist leanings continue to dominate the thinking of most of the ISI and Pakistani armed forces officers.
Imran Khan has inherited this anti-Western attitude from his political mentor. Khan never criticised the rule of General Zia-ul-Haq, a close ally of General Gul and equally responsible for Pakistan's Talibanisation.
Khan is close to Qazi Hussain Ahmed, a prominent Taliban and Haqqani network sympathiser and ex-president of Pakistan's biggest Islamist party, the Jamaat-e-Islami. Khan has often spoken at his rallies.
Khan supported Musharraf's coup against Nawaz Sharif. Musharraf at one stage was willing to appoint Khan to his cabinet. But Khan reportedly wanted the position of prime minister. When his demand was declined, Khan refused the ministry.
Khan lambasted the US for its operation against Osama bin Laden but failed to ask how bin Laden had been living in Abbottabad, a garrison town run by the Pakistani army.
Similarly, he reacted indifferently to the targeted assassination in Quetta of police surgeon Syed Baqir Shah who testified that five unarmed Western tourists were killed by bullets fired by the police/security agents, or to that of Syed Saleem Shahzad, a journalist writing a story about the extent of al-Qaeda's infiltration of the Pakistani navy. He never misses an opportunity to criticise the US but has remained silent on the Taliban's atrocities.
Khan has often talked about improving the lot of ordinary citizens and creating jobs for the young (his largest support base), but never mentions that this goal will remain illusory unless the military's budget is cut at least by half.
The Pakistani army also likes Khan because he is untainted by corruption, something that suits the present national mood.
It is worth recalling the military has never liked the Bhutto family or PPP. Zia made Sharif Prime Minister: the military feels betrayed by him because he tried to sack Musharraf.
Khan is also politically inexperienced and, therefore, someone who could perhaps be easily manipulated.
All these developments point towards greater political instability in Pakistan and the continuing dominance of Pakistani politics by its military.
Vidya S. Sharma is a Melbourne-based adviser on risk management and inter-country joint ventures.
Read more: Prime Minister Imran Khan would be no friend of the West
---------- Post added at 10:26 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:23 PM ----------
Its an Indian-Australiam being Paranoid......He is unaware that Imran Khan knows the west Inside out and had a western wife who was not a lowly shop worker he met,but was from one of the most wealthy and powerful family of Britain...
Imran wont be a puppet of the west and thats what the people of Pakistan want,but this will surely upset the west...
Lets see what they do about this.
