- Not even close
He has a habit of proposing marriage in mysterious circumstances. He habitually ties the knot at the most inopportune of times politically (if there’s ever an opportune moment for marriage, that is). He ends his marriages at even more unfortunate junctures and in even more curious circumstances. His romantic/conjugal life is a complete mess.
He overvalues his public appeal. Either he overestimates himself, or (worse) his countrymen. In any case, he thinks he can take on all the rival forces simultaneously and single-handedly. Speaks volumes for his rather tenuous relationship with ground realities.
He is not averse to employing the words and phrases used by the ordinary man in the street. He has repeatedly proved himself to be incapable of using refined language used by the other ‘statesmen’ on view.
Perhaps his greatest shortcoming is his political incorrectness. He is known to have offended women, foreign cricketers, liberals, feminists, ‘intellectuals’, and other sensitive souls – all within a span of two hours
He is famous for his lack of street smartness and political acumen. He was never known for political percipience or shrewdness to start with, but whatever he had seems to be slipping away fast.
He lacks experience as an administrator. He has never been a federal of a provincial minister. What’s worse, he is completely devoid of vision as well. He hasn’t delivered even one speech on lawmaking or federalism in the national assembly. Nobody knows his views on the economy. Perhaps he has none.
He has the opposite of a poker face. Even a psychology dropout can see through him after studying him for ten minutes. Heck, such has been the extent of his media overexposure that even an ordinary viewer knows when he is happy or worried. Not only his moods, but his thoughts are now transparent too, which renders effective politicking difficult to say the least.
His ability to pick his deputies and partners is also questionable at best. He has difficulty recalling correct figures. He is equally bad at quoting couplets. He obviously isn’t very clear on his own ‘narrative’ (probably doesn’t even care). He is not well-known for listening to counsel either. He is far too sure of himself for that.
Perhaps his greatest shortcoming is his political incorrectness. He is known to have offended women, foreign cricketers, liberals, feminists, ‘intellectuals’, and other sensitive souls – all within a span of two hours.
He doesn’t shy away from calling a spade a spade (a cardinal sin in politics). He is not very complimentary about the democracy and the institutions it has to offer: the other day he had some choice words for the parliament itself. While his cursing of the parliament was subsequently approved of by a large majority according to all public polls, you can safely bet the shirt you are wearing right now that he would not have known – still less cared – about the public reaction, before speaking his mind.
Imran Khan is determined all right. And honest too. Anybody else in his stead would have quit and fled years ago. His perseverance has been instrumental in getting Nawaz Sharif disqualified, and the entire Sharif clan either running from one court to another or having fled abroad – while PML-N is still in power! That Sharifs have displaced Zardari in the last-word-in-corruption public perception is also for the most part owing to Khan’s efforts. However, this single-minded resolve, which sometimes borders on insanity, leaves very little room for the flexibility needed for political success. As for his honesty, that’s hardly a qualification to succeed in politics, for as eminent commentators have pointed out, the country is replete with bank watchmen who are honest. Khan therefore seems to be hell-bent on destroying everything in sight with a bulldozer; and if somebody will ever build on the ruins, it most probably won’t be him, or his progeny. This is definitely not how politics is done in our neck of the woods.
Khan, then, is clearly no ‘politician’. If you are looking for one, or a ‘visionary’, or a ‘statesman’, I am afraid you need to look elsewhere, for Khan answers to no such description.
And one can never thank God enough for that.