Will Imran be able to deliver?

For a country that is often in the news and too for the wrong reasons — supporting terrorism, a shelter home to dreaded terrorists like Osama Bin Laden & Hafeez Saeed, suicide bombings, horrific school massacres and having a dubious history of virtually all the premiers having to flee the country; Pakistan has had something to cheer about with Imran Khan, the cricket star and A-list celebrity whose political party won this last week’s elections.

The nation has reasons to be euphoric even though Imran Khan’s party doesn’t have an absolute majority and there are serious allegations of rigging in the general elections. Moreover the supporters of the former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif have their cause of concerns too. Nawaz Sharif is serving a jail term and now is not keeping a good health thus affecting the party’s morale. On the other hand, there are speculations that Prime Minister designate Imran Khan could use his fame and charisma to improve Pakistan’s troubled relations with West including United States.

Imran Khan within twenty four hours of polling closed in, addressed the nation and pledged to bring governance “like no other government had ever before”. Many newly elected leaders have given similar kind of hopes too. However, Imran Khan was calculative and specific and promised to strengthen democratic institutions, tackle corruption, bring wealth back to the hands of the masses and make Pakistan an investment friendly nation.

It was quiet natural for him to address relationship between two hostile neighbours-India and Pakistan. He expressed hope that India and Pakistan could develop better relations; resolve their issues diplomatically instead of blaming one another. He also touched upon a number of issues, including further strengthening relations with China. And having touched upon India, it was natural for him to discuss Kashmir too and this time he sounded like another leader from Pakistan. “The unfortunate truth is that Kashmir is a core issue, and the situation in Kashmir, and what the people of Kashmir have seen in the last 30 years. They have really suffered. Pakistan and India’s leadership should sit at a table and try to fix this problem. It’s not going anywhere,” he said.

Overall his address was different and Imran Khan sounded different than many former leaders of Pakistan for a simple reason that he is different from other Pakistani politicians in big way. He has been a national hero, being a cricketer and the only skipper who got the nation its only cricket world cup. He made a mark for himself by getting the first Cancer Hospital for the nation after winning the World Cup. Unlike other leaders, he carried his repute as an asset before he deiced to set sails in the troubled water of Pakistani politics. However, converting his leadership skills from the cricket field to political arena didn’t come easy from him. Twenty Two long years to gain enough votes to be the Prime Minister of Pakistan!

Imran Khan the Prime minister designate sounded different than as the leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). During his election campaign his rhetoric was anti India, and even took a dig at United States for drone attacks on Afghan-Pak border areas. As Imran Khan begins his innings as Prime Minister the first challenge he needs to confront is the allegations of electoral rigging and fraud. In earlier elections, he has accused the government of fraud and he will now have to deal with the opposition parties accusing him of the same and that could not be an easy situation for him especially when he has won from 5 seats. He would have to resign from four of these thus bringing the party tally down by four, thus making the task of securing support from other parties difficult. He knows well, what he has to convey to the Pakistanis to garner votes and what he has to convey to the world as the leader of the country. That may be good for him till the time his honeymoon period lasts, as the Army may not be comfortable with his switching views. Also will he be able to stop the country being considered as a safe haven for terrorist?

There are many who are hopeful after hearing his address. However, he would have to do a lot to become the first Prime Minister of Pakistan to complete a full five-year term, with no absolute majority and Army playing a larger role in the democracy.