Holding out for a hero

To give credit where it is due, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has been quite innovative in ensuring that its rally in Karachi on December 25 is a success.
It has tried to reach out to as many people in the city as it could, using the unprecedented approach of inviting them ‘directly’ to the ‘big bash’.
If pre-recorded phone calls or text messages on cell phones were not enough, youngsters handing out pamphlets on roadsides at different points of the city would certainly have done the trick.
Some might be uncomfortable with the idea of receiving pre-recorded calls or spam messages on their cell phones, but in our part of the world, these matters are considered trivial in the greater scheme of things. And besides, how often is it that you answer the phone and hear Imran Khan’s voice on the other end, never mind if it is just a voice message. For the young members of Khan’s ‘cult’, even a text message from him is as good as the PTI chief standing at their doorstep to invite them. For them, he is a messiah, or as the graphic artistry by some of his followers suggests, a superhero, who would use his superpowers to rid the country of all its ills. However, with a vague plan for dealing with the country’s myriad of crises, Khan would certainly need superpowers if he comes into power.
Now that the PTI has built up the hype needed for its rally in Karachi, chances are that it would be a bigger hit than the one in Lahore.
And if that happens, Khan would surely be over the moon. Putting up a good show in both Lahore and Karachi would surely be no mean feat.
Successfully creating the impression of success is half the battle won and the PTI has done that.
There might be all that talk about the PTI chief being the military establishment’s man, and perhaps not all of it is untrue, but Khan certainly deserves a round of applause for coming up with pre-election campaigning methods that are unconventional in the country. As the saying goes, “Mera number kab aayega?” (When will my turn come?), the Kaptaan’s long wait is probably coming to an end and it is finally his turn.