Islamabad, July 02: Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan is to Pakistan what former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is to the United States- controversial, an antidote to the current administration and, arguably, a force to be reckoned with.
Khan”s political life appears to be experiencing a new high, thanks in part to his unique brand of anti-Americanism, which finds support among Pakistan’s professional classes, youth, and women, The Christian Science Monitor reports.
According to a research carried out by Pew polling in Pakistan, he enjoys a 68 per cent approval rating, up from 52 per cent last year, making him the country’s most popular politician.
Long derided as a non-serious candidate in an electoral system dominated by two major parties- the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Khan surprised political pundits last month by attracting thousands of supporters to a major protest in Peshawar against US drone attacks in Pakistan’s tribal areas, before going on to stage a sit-in to “symbolically block” NATO supply lines for Afghanistan that pass through the port city of Karachi.
With his good looks and seeming willingness to speak plainly, Khan is to Pakistan what Sarah Palin is to the US, the report said, noting that both are controversial and both elicit polarising reactions.
Khan’s urbane appeal as a former internationally acclaimed cricketer means he can reach a wider, less religious audience and position himself as the acceptable face of anti-Americanism, said Badar Alam, editor of Pakistan’s Herald Magazine.
When mullahs talk, people do not stop to listen, “but when a Western educated clean-shaven man does the same, it does suit them,” Alam said of Oxford-educated Khan.
Khan’s support base of Pakistan’s middle class, women, and the youth (who make up 70 percent of the country) are exactly the groups the United States has targeted in its battle to win hearts and minds in Pakistan.
“The youth of this country think politics is entirely rubbish,” columnist Fasi Zaka said. Therefore, Khan’s message of bringing about a “revolution” appeals to young people turned off by traditional politics.
Another part of Khan’s appeal is his squeaky-clean reputation in a country where allegations of corruption are rampant. “When compared to the other personalities in Pakistani politics, he is a saint,” Zaka said.
—Source: Facenfacts