25 July, 2018 was the day when Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, led by Imran Khan, outclassed all other parties and won Pakistan’s general elections. Not long after that, Khan took oath as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan. Two years since then, the premiere has faced a lot of criticism, and has been labelled a ‘failure’.
Here are 5 reasons why it’s too early to call Imran Khan a failure:
- Just the start of the innings
Pakistanis can be hard to decode sometimes. They sell their votes for a plate of biryani and then remain silent for the next 5 years before the cycle repeats itself. Now that they think the 2018 general elections was rigged, they’ve started demanding within 2 years what they never have in the past 70 years. Isn’t it too much to expect from someone who struggled for 22 years to get here and has only spent a couple of them in office? - Finding the perfect combination
Has he not been trying? Has he not been changing his cabinet every now and then? It appears like he’s still in search for the best candidates out there. What’s his biggest obstacle? Pakistanis themselves as people force him to reverse his decisions because of religious reasons. What they focus on is that the person belongs to a minority, not the fact that he is a PhD from MIT and a world class economist. - Playing it safe at the back foot
If asked about what good governments do, most Pakistanis would respond building roads, bridges, underpasses and providing good infrastructure. Little do they know about the more important or less tangible priorities of a government which include economic stability, management of internal and external debts, imports and exports, trade deficits and so much more. Had previous governments invested in education, good roads would not have been the only indicator of a successful government. - Lack of appreciation
It’s high time we stop playing the role of a hypocrite; criticising him for his mistakes and remaining silent on his achievements. A record amount of debt has been paid off in these two years. Any media coverage? No. Record amount of tax has been collected in his tenure. Any newspaper stories to cover this? No. The Foreign Ministry has done wonders and the world now sees Pakistan like it never has before. What about the billion tree tsunami? The initiative received global appreciation but none at home. What about the Ministry of Science and Technology? It feels bad when you see memes being made on the most hardworking ministers. - Cornered Tiger
Be it the 1992 Cricket World Cup, the inauguration of Shaukat Khanum Cancer Memorial Hospital in 1994 or laying of the foundation of National University of ModernLanguages in Islamabad, Imran Khan has at always successfully dealt with mounting pressure. Not that running a country is similar to playing a World Cup, but it’s about how one deals with pressure. Let’s be hopeful that he makes his way out of this and serves the nation another major win.
