Is Imran Khan the Donald Trump of Pakistan?
Is Imran Khan the Donald Trump of Pakistan?
If you were to look back and think of one of the most unbelievable decisions made in the past five years, Donald Trump getting elected as President of the United States would perhaps top the list. Just imagining the “strongest” democracy in the world actually handing over its reigns to the man without a plan makes you feel a little bit better about the state of your own democracy. You think, maybe America is worse than us, for what sane mind would ever vote Trump into power?
Well, all this thinking made us wonder, who is Trump’s equivalent in our own political sphere? Though perhaps many of our politicians are eligible for this comparison, recent events bring only one person in mind – our very own “King Khan” (or if Reham Khan’s allegations are to be believed, perhaps Kink Khan is more apt?
Now, before we are immediately bashed in the comments, we’d like to explain why we’re making such a heavy comparison when it comes to the sadiq and ameen (honest and truthful) politician. Leadership comparisons will of course be flawed – after all, Trump is the leader of the free world, and Imran Khan isn’t even the elected leader of our own country (yet).
No, the following comparison is simply based on how two leaders play the game of politics, the extent they are ready to go to in their pandering, and how ardently their supporters are willing to believe every word that comes out of their leader’s mouth.
1. Rich celebrities make their way into politics
At the baseline, both Trump and Imran are rich celebrity personalities who felt their presence was needed in the political sphere. Giving Imran some credit here, his athletic achievements have always been more remarkable, as we’re not quite sure what (if anything) Trump has ever achieved.
2. Make Pakistan great again
Trump’s call to “Make America Great Again” resonated with white folks who felt eight years under Barack Obama had somehow ruined the country in a way that only a politically inexperienced reality celebrity could fix. Similarly, Imran’s Naya Pakistan reached out to the youth disenfranchised by the Pakistan of old. The attainability of each slogan aside, one can’t deny they are semantically similar and work the same way to simply gain devoted followers who will throw the slogan back at you every chance they get.
3. Pandering to the right
Both Trump and Imran have been pledged support by the extreme right of both countries. While Trump has often had a kind word or two to say about literal Nazis in America, Imran has said the same but for their equivalent in Pakistan – the religious right-wing. Despite counting on liberals to vote for him, Imran has verbally insulted the group repeatedly (khooniliberal scums, anyone?) in favour of praising and joining hands with right-wing groups, especially during his election campaign. After all, he didn’t earn the name Taliban Khan for nothing.
This is Maulana Samiul Haq, the father of Taliban, explaining his partnership with Imran Khan's #PTI. Dont forget that Mr. Khan while talking to @TheZeinabBadawi in @BBCHARDtalk said how inspired he was by Taliban justice system.#Pakistan
You can’t blame Imran, just as you can’t blame Trump; after all, both men have simply done whatever it takes to win. Yes, a lot of PTI supporters argue Imran is doing whatever it takes to garner votes and that once he comes into power, he will go back to his “Naya Pakistan” self. But dialling back a little into history reveals that people who voted for Trump did not think he would follow through on the problematic promises. However, immigrant families separatedon American soil would perhaps tell them otherwise.
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