The PTI government began with a lot of fanfare after an election steeped in controversy and allegations of rigging but the common man of Pakistan was hopeful that this change would improve the living standards of the poor, ensure better governance and end corruption. After almost four years, the dream of a new Pakistan has become a nightmare. Imran and his cronies have failed miserably to deliver on their promises.
During the last days of the PTI rule, Khan’s entire focus was on the alleged role of a foreign power and its interference in the domestic politics of Pakistan. So far, he has not been able to substantiate the allegation. His ministers and advisors, like Faisal Vawda and Fawad Chaudhry, are trying to prove that they are more loyal to the throne than the king himself. They claimed their PM’s life is in danger.
The future hope of the nation has finally crashed. No leader in the nation’s history has disappointed his supporters as quickly as Khan, by his incompetence, bad governance, broken promises and U-turns.
The future hope of the nation has finally crashed. No leader in the nation’s history has disappointed his supporters as quickly as Khan, by his incompetence, bad governance, broken promises and U-turns. There is a combination of factors that has resulted in the meltdown of the PTI government. He tried to govern without regard for the rights of his coalition partners and political allies. He mismanaged and failed to capitalize on his great relationship with the establishment -- especially furor caused by delay in the appointment of new DG ISI. The foreign policy decisions were nothing short of a disaster. The ridiculous attempt to form a new Islamic bloc with Turkey and Malaysia, at the cost of annoying Saudi Arabia, got backfired. The list is long: the CPEC was neglected that annoyed China, the sudden dash to Moscow on the eve of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the drama of a foreign conspiracy to avoid the vote of no-confidence. And, his love for the religious extremists, like Taliban and the TLP, is no secret.
Imran Khan failed to deliver on all his campaign promises. Unemployment and inflation continued to rise, corruption increased manifold, accountability was one-sided and more of a witch-hunt. Close political partners, like Jahangir Tareen Khan and Aleem Khan, were disappointed and stepped aside. Appointment of Usman Buzdar as chief minister of Punjab was another blunder that caused friction among his allies and the establishment. His ministers and advisors were handpicked yet incompetent, and were repeatedly shuffled, with the exception of Sania Nishtar and Faisal Sultan. He overused the religion card and his misplaced sense of self-righteousness and contempt for others further compromised his position.
The PTI has failed because of Imran Khan’s inflated ego. His recent speech on national TV is just one example of his egoistic self. Some tech savvy person calculated he said “mein”, “mujhey”, “mera” and “I” at least 88 times in this speech. He uttered his name 14 times. This is a playback of the speech he delivered after winning the 1992 World Cup.
Imran Khan’s innings has finally come to an inglorious end. There is no doubt that the utopian experiment of building a Riasat-i-Madina failed miserably. Sadly, one thing this self-delusional leader has left behind is a polarized the nation.