In Solidarity with Imran Khan

In Solidarity with Imran Khan

Khan was removed because he disobeyed the US. His vision of turning Pakistan into an Islamic Welfare State on tenets posited by the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is what set off alarm bells amongst the western intelligentsia.

10th April 2022, a day when hopes were dashed. A day when a country was humiliated. A day which proved that for some people perfidy for self-benefit is above the honour of a country which came into being in the name of Islam. On that regrettable day, Pakistani despoilers earned the “honour” of having been successful, for the first time in the history of Pakistan, in removing an elected Prime Minister through a conspiratorial no-confidence motion.
Everybody is privy to the facts, facts which are unambiguous and undeniable, facts which the US has admitted to surreptitiously. What led to the conspiracy against Imran Khan? The causes are apparent and known to everyone: an independent foreign policy by cementing the relationship with Russia and China against the wishes of the US; denial of bases to the US in Pakistan, for use against the Muslim Afghans; prevarications from the IMF dictates, etc.
The gist is, Mr Khan was removed because he disobeyed the US. And, for an economically enslaved and enfeebled country like Pakistan, this attitude could easily have been anticipated to have ramifications which at the end of the day could lead to the further destabilisation of Pakistan. That said, emancipation from the US hegemonic yoke wasn’t the only principal reason that exacerbated the US-Pakistan tensions under Imran Khan. Apart from the reasons which gained worldwide traction, there is something hidden which the US and the West were circumspect of. Something which the US and the world clandestinely abhors. Something that could prove fatal to the prevalent unjust world order. And what was that? Mr Khan’s assertive Islamic narrative. This is what the world fears today. Mind you, when I say Islamic narrative, I don’t mean ritualistic Islam. What I mean is, Islamic laws that govern the political, social and economic edifices of a society. Mr Khan’s vision of turning Pakistan into an Islamic Welfare State on tenets posited by the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) is what set off alarm bells amongst the western intelligentsia.
The world is replete with every kind of vicious devilry. Injustice is soaring everywhere. Justice is only available to the elite classes of the society. Limits set by Allah and his Messenger are openly violated. The yawning gap between the rich and the poor continues to abysmally shoot through the roof. A case in point: what Israel is doing with the occupied residents inside and outside Al-Aqsa Mosque. I wish to ask those who try to teach us human rights, where does your sense of shame go when people are grabbed and beaten inside Al-Aqsa Mosque? Where does your humanity go when Israel assassinates Palestinians on almost daily basis? Where are your ideals of democracy and liberalism when Afghanistan is forced to plunge into a state of abject privation? Where does your sense of exigency die when at the point of the sword freedom is curtailed and surveillance increased to catch hold of incongruous individuals who have the nerves to enkindle the passions against oppression?
In a situation is like this, Mr Khan took a confrontational stand by looking the devil in the eye. Mr Khan is the only Muslim leader in the world who exposed the fascist elements to the hilt, in a way no other leader could. He is the only Muslim leader in the world who made the world realise the kind of resplendent relationship we have with our beloved Prophet (SAW) and, when He is ridiculed, how pulverised and helpless we feel inside. Imran Khan vociferously stood up against Islamophobia. He showed the west the mirror by pointing out the destruction of family as an institution in the west as a consequence of promiscuous interpretation of liberal ideals. He is the leader who strived to make the Quran and the biography of the Prophet (SAW) compulsory in educational institutions. The list is interminable and exhaustive, summarising all of which here is impossible.
We must realise that Mr Khan is not a conventional politician. In fact, he doesn’t know politics at all, because modern democratic politics is nothing but chicanery. When we listen to his speeches, it is evident that he isn’t a ‘conventional adroit politician and orator’. In his speeches, he, many a time, fumbles. Many a time his tongue slips. What is then in his speeches that has made him so resplendent to the public? Truthfulness, honesty, incorruptibility, vision, hardihood, self-abnegation for the acquisition of a larger end, and impartiality. These are the qualities which a leader must necessarily have. Haplessly, we find leaders with these qualities rarely. To have him in this world is no less than a blessing of Allah.
The increasing popularity of Mr Khan suggests that his return is inevitable, provided free and fair elections are conducted and he is not dealt with as Z.A. Bhutto was. If Mr Khan wins the next election with an overwhelming majority, two things he should immediately do: first, he should go for the Presidential system, as democracy is bound to mercilessly fail again and again in Pakistan. The Presidential system is very close to the Islamic governance system, in essence. Second, in order for Pakistan to resuscitate its economic strength and independence, he should completely extirpate Riba (interest) of all forms, including interest payment to the IMF. Nonetheless, the principal amount should definitely be repaid.

The writer is a Law student at JMI, New Delhi. [email protected]

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