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| India-Pakistan |
| Imran Khan: From sports star to Islamist demagogue |
| 2006-06-01 |
| In one of the huge and lavish residences in Quetta Cantonment, the powerbroker neighbourhood of Quetta city, military leaders and rich and influential civilians gathered earlier this week for a private dinner in honour of cricketing-hero turn politician Imran Khan. Conversation for the first time avoided the constant lambasting of the Punjab province, seen as an usurper of Baluchi rights and resources, and focused on President Pervez Musharraf's unsuccessful attempts to tame Pakistan's borderlands, fingered by the US in its war against terror. "Slamming the Pakistan Army and its main constituency, the province of Punjab, is now all the fashion here in Baluchistan but this time, because Imran Khan who comes from Punjab was here, Baluch nationalist leaders avoided this, as they respect him a lot," said a top bureacrat, speaking on condition of anonymity. Imran Khan who is now chief of the opposition Pakistan Tehrik-i-Insaaf (Pakistan Justice Movement) was a charismatic sportsman, sex symbol and one of the nation's sporting heroes for his formidable cricket exploits. "You know why this happens," Imran Khan chimed in. "This is because I talk about the issues that concern the masses," he said. "Whether it's a military operation in Waziristan or in Baluchistan, I condemn them. I am convinced that this is not being done for national security but to appease foreign powers," Imran Khan maintained. The Pakistan army has been battling Islamic militants in the Waziristan region since Taliban and al-Qaeda fighters fled into the area after the American-led invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. Tens of thousands of Pakistani soldiers were sent into the area in 2003. When Adnkronos International (AKI) mentioned that Imran Khan's support for the Taliban made him popular in the Pakistani tribal belt but at the same time potrayed him as "radical", Imran batted back the accusations. "These terms - radical Islamists, fundamentalists, Islamic militants - have been invented in the West, and I do not subscribe to them at all. I am a Muslim and a liberal. Mind you a Muslim is always a liberal person, as this is the very essence of Islam... But tell me after what the Pakistan army has done in Waziristan should there not be a reaction?" Imran questioned. "The fact is that we are doing American's dirty job in Waziristan at a cost of 70 million dollars a month," Imran commented, "Is it not shameful that we take this money to bomb our own citizens in Waziristan? It is my duty to raise my voice against this," Imran maintained. He then embarked on an impromptu history lesson of Waziristan and the other remote tribal areas between Pakistan and Afghanistan. "They are people whom the British, during their rule of India, used to pay to have peace. Britain was the superpower of its time, but did not dare to play around with Waziristan," he cautioned. "Now look at our foolishness. We bombed them and levied penalties on them. Do you expect surrender? They have never surrendered in history," Imran Khan said. "Whether it is Baluchistan [a restive oil-rich province where the army is also battling tribal leaders and militants] or Waziristan, General Musharraf's absurd policies jeopardise national interests. If someone, like me, takes a stand and resists government policies, the masses support him," he maintained. "Our eyes are on September this year when we would finally mobilise the masses and go to any extent [to remove Musharraf] be it mass resignation from parliament or street marches," Khan concluded. |
| Posted by:Dan Darling |
| #8 Ex-Wife. Daughter of the billionaire Sir James Goldsmith. She was shagging Hugh Grant while still married to Imran. She has now divorced him and has dropped the Khan from her name. |
| Posted by: john 2006-06-01 19:02 |
| #7 His wife is a tasty bit of crumpet. |
| Posted by: JDB 2006-06-01 15:23 |
| #6 'Islamist Demagogue' is an oxymoron. |
| Posted by: mcsegeek1 2006-06-01 12:42 |
| #5 Sounds like the John Fn Kerry of Pakistan... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2006-06-01 09:02 |
| #4 This is pure political posturing. His party did poorly in the last election because no one was interested in a westernized muslim with a Jewish wife (who converted to Islam). So now he is pretending to be a champion of the pro-Taliban tribesmen. |
| Posted by: Apostate 2006-06-01 05:37 |
| #3 "I am a Muslim and a liberal. Mind you a Muslim is always a liberal person, as this is the very essence of Islam..." Water is dry, the sun is cold. |
| Posted by: Islam = Cancer 2006-06-01 04:13 |
| #2 He always was a chucker. |
| Posted by: Grunter 2006-06-01 01:12 |
| #1 somebody needs to bat his cricket balls. |
| Posted by: Captain America 2006-06-01 01:08 |