Former cricket captain Imran Khan was sworn in as Pakistan’s 22nd prime minister at a ceremony of the National Assembly on Saturday, after the newly elected members voted him in. Khan will head a coalition government with a wafer-thin majority and face a slew of challenges on the economic and security fronts.
Khan gave an emotional speech in the Assembly, his first as the prime minister, calling it “22 years of struggle” to reach a place where he could build a Naya Pakistan (New Pakistan). Khan founded the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party in a bid to gain political power in a country that has seen more military dictatorships in 70 years than civilian democracy.
To highlight this point, Khan mentioned several times during his speech that he was not “nurtured by any military dictator.” Instead, he promised new hope and a departure from the traditional politics of Pakistan, which has been dominated by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) – once headed by Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and his daughter Benazir – and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) led by deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
Khan stressed that fighting corruption would be a key strategy for his new administration. “I swear with Allah as my witness that I will go after those who looted this nation for 70 years,” he told the Assembly, amid cheers from fellow legislators.
Throughout the campaign Khan, a tribal Pathan from the country’s northwest, promised that the corrupt would be targeted in a bid to resuscitate Pakistan’s economy. He emphasized that he would bring back the “stolen money” that had been spirited abroad by corrupt politicians and industrialists, weakening Pakistan’s economy.
But Khan’s government will face an escalating economic crisis, which threatens to destabilize Pakistan unless urgently needed funds are raised. But most of the measures Khan has suggested – such as turning around unprofitable state enterprises – will take a long time to deliver. Shafaqat Mehmood, appointed by Khan as education minister, told Reuters that the government “will work overtime to meet these huge expectations.”
Most observers agree that China will play a major role after Khan settles into his new responsibilities. With the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) having key roles in Pakistan, China will most likely provide economic assistance. However, critical observers believe these measures could push Pakistan into a greater “Chinese debt trap.” The Pakistani rupee has been falling consistently and the State Bank of Pakistan has not been able to arrest its drop.
While Khan deals with the economic crisis, the country’s stance on terrorism will be under the watchful eye of the international community. US President Donald Trump’s National Security Strategy released late last year repeatedly cited Pakistan as a major challenge to global peace and US interests. Pakistan is also facing the possibility of being blacklisted by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), an international body that monitors the funding of designated terror organizations.
Khan has often been viewed as an apologist for terrorist organizations. His willingness to hold a dialogue with the Pakistani Taliban has led to questions about his ability to end the country’s support for terror groups in the region. His “soft Islamic” agenda is also viewed as an indication that Pakistan could return to more fundamentalist ways in the coming days.
Khan will also have to balance relations with its neighbor India, which it has fought four times since independence. Observers in India are skeptical over Khan’s ability to deliver lasting peace between the nations and believe he has been supported by the Pakistan Army.
“We believe that he might try to chart an independent agenda after a year or so, but that will inevitably lead to a clash with the Pakistan Army’s deep-rooted interests,” a senior analyst told Asia Times.
Observers in India say Khan is unlikely to buck the trend that has never allowed any prime minister to complete a term in office. With history stacked against Khan, the next few months will prove crucial to Pakistan.
Rohit Pandeya Rohit Pandeya As your master America has been defeated and humiliated in our beloved Afghanistan, They are now desperate to save face and run which is their history and are now begging Pakistan for help, today the CIA chief made a strange statement by saying our mission is Afghanistan is a "humble one” Hahahahahah Arrogant criminal country calling itself Humble after they have had a beating of their life, 19 years Longest war in American history and still our beloved dudes in flip flops can kick American butts as and when they please….Just love it. So now these Arrogant murderers are humbled…Hahahahahah.
Now then as soon as these criminal invaders are gone running head over heels, then we will have the energy, resources, time and a very very battle hardened Mujahideen force to be channeled into Kashmir, Assam, Khalistan and Nagaland where already there is simmering hate for the Hindu slumdweller Banya Kutta.
I don’t think it will take long to liberate these areas, after all we have experience in breaking up slum-land India, already we have carved large swathes of land and made Pakistan and Bangladesh, Azad Kashmir, Parts of Himachal Pradesh which we have given to our chinese brothers…….the hindutva kuttas are our next move, we are very experienced in nuteralising banya kuttas…..good day.
Rohit Pandeya the issue between India and Pak always revolved around you guys being dalits. 5000 years now and counting, the issue remains the same……and we can’t live with dalits. No matter which way we cut it, unfortunately the issue goes back to this narrative. This is the heart of the matter…….All the rest is just a distraction!
Zahid you sound the most logical here and i agree with you.
We have no designs on Pakistan.You stop the terror acts get over your obsession with Kashmir and we will forget you even exist. Instead you are busy trying to open another front in the name of khalistan.jawaab nahi aapki soch ka ….
Abbas mian you give yourself far more credit than you deserve.historical mumbo jumbo couched in a patronising tone is still the same in context as any jihadi mullah speak.we are just not interested in Pakistan .if only it closed the terror factories it would cease to be of any interest to us
Your Islamic narratives are funny and pathetic at the same time like the horns of a stag, a point here and a point there with a lot of bull in between.as I said before we were happy partition happened.it was like the trash took itself out.but your unfinished dream of partition as your mullah military complex is fond of saying will never be achieved.we are interested in Pakistan because as your favourite Chinese scholar said keep your friends close and your enemies closer.a deceptive and mad neighbour always is a source of worry to us.sadly naya nizam aaya hai per neeyat wahi purani hai.
Yashad Rizvi only chutiya colonial people like you dalits enjoy that game. Increasingly that shit game is being looked down upon in Pakistan.
Agreed. But if you are right (and I hope you are) that he stands by China and CPEC, this is bad news for India that rightly worries that its success will close Indian access to the Europe and Africa via land.
India rightly worries that its caste ridden society leads to inefficient industry that can not compete against a more egalitarian Chinese romp of the globe. Unless Indian capital picks up Chinese ways it will fail to make any money in Pakistan.
A Chinese debt-trap will limit the maneuverability of traditional power structure in Pakistan, not necessarily a bad thing. I hope that happens.
Your reporter/analyst has got a slew of things wrong. First, that Imran Khan hails from the tribal belt. He doesn’t. His initial formal education was in Lahore, where he grew up. Second, that he is suspected of being sympathetic to tribal terrotists. If that were the case, there would have been no need for him to pursue the democratic course. Third, that a fall-out with the military is inevitable.The acknowledged fact here is that the military stood by his capturing slogan of a changed Pakistan which would root out corruption.Where your man is right, however, is when he says that he will stand by China and the CPEC, which very few in this country see as a Chinese debt-trap. And, what matters most is that Imran Khan may, just may, open the doors to Indian investment, to bring the hitherto sworn enemies closer together. .
Aftab, Pandeya, Greetings
Our neighbours’ attitude towards Pakistan is formed by their fanciful narrative that Partition spoinled their dream of Greater India (which in fact never was united).
1. Agrarian India was stagnating for a 1,000 years after Gupta Maurya – divided, poor. China traded with Europe via the Silk Road and was waaaaay ahead from 300BC to 1100 AD.
2. Trading Muslims from 1100-1750 reformed India and raised its output equal to China (1/3 of the world), and again gave India a unity greater than Gupta/Maurya. Today India’s food, dress, music, languate, culture is a product of Muslim rule.
3. In European fight with Muslims, the Hindus sided with the Europeans who reduced India to 2% of world wealth by 1900, lol. Under the English India was more divided than ever – 600 Princely States and a swiss cheese India under the Raj.
4. From 1914-45 the English invested heavily in India because Europe was at war. The emerging Hindu Middle Class in its infiite stupidity began fighting the English for freedom. The more perceptive Muslims knew that the European jig was up so they helped them against Fascism and were rewarded justly.
5. The Divide and Rule then Divide and Leave to Still continue to Rule English were too happy to create Pakistan a headache for India. And Kashmir is proverbial English finger in Hindu behind, a punishment for having asked for freedom. English knew that it will keep India wasting its resources forever and poor.
Our Hindu friends must realize that Muslims are NOT the source of their poverty, but the English are. In order to get ahead Indians must ditch their caste system and unite like China is. At least Imran is trying that for Pakistan. Whether he succeeds is irrelevant. Pakistan is with China, the emerging world power and will take Pakistan with it.
Our Indian friends should stop criticizing Pakistan, bury their own differences. If India is united, she will have no need to fear Pakistan or China. We wish Indian friends well, but leave us alone.
Imran wants peace with Indians. If they make one step towards Pak, he will make two. Kashmir is neither ours nor yours, but for Kashmiris. Except for 10-20 mile narrow strip along Indo-Pak border the vaste land is inhabited by Sinics (Gilgitis, Baltistanis, Laddakhis) who are neither Sunni nor Hindus. It was always Chinese and will remain for ever. Why would the Sinics want to live with impoverished brown India or Pakistan when they can be with their rich and civilized Chinese blood brothers?
That’s easy, the hindu slum dwellers are obsessed with Pakistan, in their hearts burn a jealousy and hate they cant contain, but little do they realize its only a question of time and we will liberate Kashmir and also assist other ethnic groups that the Hindu slum dwellers suppress and murder, despite their petty threats the fact remains that India was dismantled when Pakistan and now Bangladesh were carved out, so slum land India is being reduced through a historical process where smaller India will be easily managed by Pakistan which is no pushover when a push comes to shove, I hope I have answered your question…Salam
Pitch in baseball, bowl in cricket
He was targeted by all parties during your elections
Modi gets equal attention, good or bad, from your people…..
Because our great neighbour is a major headache in south Asia so people tend to follow the happenings in our neighbourhood.
Now why would an Indian guy bother to write all this run of the mill mainstream shit about IK? How bizzarre.