Imran Khan's new weapon in Sindh
It was four in the morning when he called me. "I am being nominated the Sindh vice president of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf," he said, asking me to meet up for an interview. The next day, I was with Prince Jam Qaim at his "Jam Palace" in the upscale Defence locality of Karachi.
"The Tareens and Punjabis were here just before you arrived," he said as he welcomed me. "They are negotiating with us to form an alliance, but Imran Khan has said no to alliances. We are okay with them officially joining PTI."
We walked with several bodyguards to a large hall where we met his father Senator Jam Karam Ali. "I don't support anyone in the parliament or senate," he said. "I remain independent."
The influential political family is revered throughout Sindh and is known for non-traditional politics. Regular guests to their palace included Benazir Bhutto.
"Why would a Sindhi feudal join the PTI?" I asked. "Aren't the PPP or the PML-F more natural allies for you?" Jam Qaim agreed it would be easy for him to join the PPP and become a senator or a legislator, "but I don't see the point in it". He said Benazir Bhutto had changed for the better when she came back to Pakistan, but after her death Imran Khan was the only hope for Pakistan.
"I have been gradually moving towards the PTI," he said. "I went to the sit-ins in Islamabad and Karachi and eventually joined the party because I was impressed with Imran Khan's personal commitment."
Later that night when we were sipping tea on Versace couches overlooking a large portrait of Jam Qaim Ali in his rather colourful Brioni suit with a Burberry shirt, PTI Sindh President Naeemul Haq sent him a text message telling him about his appointment and congratulating him. The official announcement had come at 5pm. "Didn't the provincial president of your party know about your appointment?" I asked. "Imran Bhai appointed me directly," he said. That signaled the strong personal control Khan exercises over his party.
"I have big plans for Sindh. The withdrawal of the magisterial system from Sindh has seriously dented the credibility of the PPP in interior Sindh. My plan is to benefit from that and take PTI to the remote areas of the province," he said. "In urban Sindh, people are fed up of the MQM and the power politics. We have a real chance. We can win at least two provincial seats in Karachi that the ANP currently holds."
"What do you think of the MQM?" I asked him. "For generations Sindhis and Mohajirs had been living peacefully. I don't see why that is not possible now," he said. "We might have issues with how the MQM operates at times but there is no denying that it is a genuine political force in Karachi. We are ready to talk to anyone as long as they don't resort to violence."
"Look at what is happening in Karachi," he said of violence in politics. "They burned a bus with a girl in it. Even animals don't do that."
The soft-spoken Sindhi feudal's entry into the PTI can be a game-changer for Imran Khan. It means the PTI will have at least one provincial assembly seat from interior Sindh and therefore a voice in the Sindh Assembly. PML-Q MNA Marvi Memon has recently resigned from her party and she too is likely to join the PTI.
"Let me tell you, I am not alone in this," the young politician said. "The newer generation of the feudal families is increasingly rebelling against this corrupt system, and while they might not come out because of political compulsions right now, they will flock to the PTI one day."
Some analysts have questioned this sudden enthusiasm and link it to the military's alleged backing of Imran Khan.
"I have been talking to many of those politicians," Jam Qaim said. "A very influential family from the PPP is not happy with Zardari because they were not given ministries. We have been in touch and they will join us at the right time."
Jam Qaim earlier referred to former president Pervez Musharraf as his ideal. He believed US drone attacks on Al Qaeda and Taliban targets in Pakistan's Tribal Areas were "a national disgrace" because they violated Pakistan's sovereignty. But he declined to go into details saying he did not want to hurt Musharraf's credibility.
"What is wrong being close to the military?" he said to a question about reports that the military establishment was supporting the PTI. "They are as much entitled to voice there concerns and political views as you and I."
And then as we walked out the Jam Palace, he said in a low tone, "Several of my friends and some well wishers in the military had advised me to join Imran Khan."
Report: Imran Khan's new weapon in Sindh by AKC