Why Imran Khan Should be a Free Man

By Dawood Mamoon

The verdict of General Elections 2024 in Pakistan is out and Imran Khan has won highest number of seats in national assembly and his candidates have dominated Provincial Assembly seats in Punjab and Pukhtunkwa. However Imran Khan is in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi that has already hosted quite a few former Prime Ministers and one of the most popular leaders of the country including Mian Nawaz Sharif and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. This book discusses the politics of Imran Khan since he formed PTI in 1996 and therefore makes a strong case that the former Prime Minister of Pakistan should be free. If there is any allegation on him, it is indeed that he has not shown any flexibility towards his opposition and especially towards the two main political parties of Pakistan including Pakistan Muslim League and Pakistan People's Party since he started his politics decades ago. The book suggests that Imran Khan may as well have nothing to do with 9 May, 2023, a dark chapter in Pakistani politics when hooligans stormed government buildings across Pakistani cities asking for release of Imran Khan who was arrested in high Court Islamabad premises. If anything, Imran Khan and PTI should be sitting in both national and provincial assemblies working with now ruling coalition of PMLN and PPP. The politics of revenge should be given up either by Pakistani establishment or by Pakistani politicians. And that include Imran Khan as well.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dawood Mamoon
• Release date: Feb 28, 2024
• ISBN: 9798224736614

Dawood Mamoon

Dawood Mamoon has been Director Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialisation (ORIC) at leading Engineering University of Pakistan namely Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute (GIK) from 2020 to 2022. He was affiliate of Harvard Business School from 2013 to 2017. He has a PhD in Economics for Sustainable Development from Erasmus University, the Netherlands.

Book preview

Why Imran Khan Should be a Free Man

Dawood Mamoon

Published by Dawood Mamoon, 2024.

While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

WHY IMRAN KHAN SHOULD BE A FREE MAN

First edition. February 28, 2024.

Copyright © 2024 Dawood Mamoon.

ISBN: 979-8224736614

Written by Dawood Mamoon.

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Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Also By Dawood Mamoon

Why Imran Khan Should be a Free Man

Further Reading: A Journey to Find God in 21st Century: One Man’s Quest for Global Peace

Also By Dawood Mamoon

About the Author

About the Publisher

Why Imran Khan Should be a Free Man

by

Dawood Mamoon

The verdict of General Elections 2024 in Pakistan is out and Imran Khan has won  highest number of seats in national assembly and his candidates have dominated Provincial Assembly seats in Punjab and Pukhtunkwa. However Imran Khan is in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi that has already hosted quite a few former Prime Ministers and one of the most popular leaders of the country including Mian Nawaz Sharif and Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto. This book discusses the politics of Imran Khan since he formed PTI in 1996 and therefore makes a strong case that the former Prime Minister of Pakistan should be free. If there is any allegation on him, it is indeed that he has not shown any flexibility towards his opposition and especially towards the two main political parties of Pakistan including Pakistan Muslim League and Pakistan People’s Party since he started his politics decades ago. The book suggests that Imran Khan may as well have nothing to do with 9 May, 2023, a dark chapter in Pakistani politics when hooligans stormed government buildings across Pakistani cities asking for release of Imran Khan who was arrested in high Court Islamabad premises. If anything, Imran Khan and PTI should be sitting in both national and provincial assemblies working with now ruling coalition of PMLN and PPP.  The politics of revenge should be given up either by Pakistani establishment or by Pakistani politicians. And that include Imran Khan as well.

1. General Elections 2024

1.1. Vote or not to Vote

Pakistan has emerged as the 5th largest democracy of the world. However much of the world thinks Pakistan is not a pure democracy and military establishment finally decides which would be the winning party and which political party would make the government. Already the voices are coming out from international media that without Imran Khan and PTI, the 8th February 2024 Elections would not be free and fair. As many would say even today that in 2018 Imran Khan came to power with help of military establishment and now its support is with PMLN. Yes yesterday, Pakistan’s most prestigious News Paper ran a front page advertisement confirming that 3 times Prime Minister and one of the most popular political leaders of Pakistan, Mr Mian Nawaz Sharif would be the next Prime Minister of Pakistan and PMLN would sweep the general elections. It seems that even media is working on the whims of Military Establishment and already the most vehement critics of Pakistan are creating an alibi to make tomorrows General Election a farce and more controversial than any General Elections that took place in 75 years of Pakistan’s glorious and not so glorious political history. Well I would like to argue that there has never been any significant manipulation of General Elections by Military Establishment in Pakistan. It is all hearsay at the least and mostly done by political parties that would not win the majority and popular vote and would form the opposition in subsequent years. And this hearsay has a cost for incumbent governments since 1947. One of the most dynamic political leader and Prime Minister of Pakistan Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto was hanged. His daughter Benazir Bhutto was assassinated in her bid to be 3rd time Prime Minister of Pakistan in 2007. Nawaz Sharif has faced exile and jail terms. Imran Khan who is also the most popular political leader is facing 24 years of Jail term.

One must understand the political system of Pakistan to really refute all the hearsay that emerge after every General Election and as mentioned no Prime Minister of Pakistan has ever completed his or her 5 years terms and instead nearly all of them were faced with Jail terms and risk to their life. This is not the way to treat our leaders. They have spent decades and have immensely contributed towards the progress of Pakistan.

So why I am calling it hearsay. Well instead of carrying out any intellectual debate, I would just use logic and explain the choice that I face as a voter. First I should admit that I only thought of voting in 2008, when I returned from the Netherlands after doing my PhD and I was good 32 years older. In 2008, I wanted to vote for Pakistan Peoples Party and was more sure to vote for the party after the cowardly assassination of Benazir Bhutto. I couldn’t vote because I had Dutch ID card and had just applied for Pakistani ID card. By 2011, Imran Khan, who is every one’’s hero and a cricketing legend was my favorite as well and in 2013 general elections, I voted for PTI. However PMLN won the Elections and PTI by 2014 took to roads and street protests were initiated and at least I was fully supporting Imran Khan and PTI till 2014. But I did note that PMLN supporters accused Imran Khan for negatively influencing national governance as he made a sit in protest at the constitution avenue in 2014. Chinese President who was due to visit Pakistan in 2014 would cancel his visit. As a patriotic Pakistani, I felt that something is wrong with Imran Khan’s political strategy because politics at the cost of Pakistan’s progress is never a wise strategy. By 2018, Imran’s Khan’s popularity sky rocketed while I took a back seat and wouldn’t even vote for PTI in 2018 General Elections. The politics of Imran Khan was a problem as amply highlighted by political parties and their leadership in opposition over the years.

PTI would just not tolerate any expressions of opposition against Imran Khan. Whereas, as a staunch believer of freedom of expression, this is not how democracy is shaped where all dissent is muted. Anyway now another 5 years have passed and Prime Minister Imran Khan is in Jail on charges of corruption and my loving wife asked me to go and vote for PTI and Imran Khan as I write this Book in support of the Man.

However, I am now a middle aged man and would better know what democracy in Pakistan really means and what it should really mean. Democracy empowers the citizens through participatory politics.

I live in Johar Town, Lahore. My favorite choice for 2024 elections is Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. But I like Nawaz Sharif and Shebaz Sharif equally for all the steadfastness they have shown and remained most sincere towards democracy and subsequently Pakistan’s progress. As of today, I rank Bilawal Bhutto (representing PPPP), Nawaz Sharif (representing PMLN), Shebaz Sharif (representing PMLN) and Maryam Nawaz Sharif (representing PMLN) higher than Imran Khan for their good leadership qualities though I still respect him a lot but since 2018, I have developed lot of disagreements with him for how he would handle his opposition.

My best choices, if I am asked and I would say that it is Bilawal Bhutto (PPP) or Maryam Nawaz Sharif (PMLN). But still I don’t know them personally and would only hear them speak in media. I want to personally know the candidate for whom I am voting and that is who is representing the political parties in my constituency. For example in a real participatory democracy it is the candidates of the constituency that should matter for voters to decide to vote for a political party.

Obviously, instead of choosing among the stalwarts of politics anyone of them is expected to be the next Prime Minister of the country, democracy means that voter interest is best served primarily in his or her constituency. For example the leaders of national stature are all most charismatic and for a voter like me, it is very difficult to make a choice for either Bilawal Bhutto Zardari or Maryam Nawaz Sharif for example. And both represent two different political parties.

I know the middle level leadership and many of them I know personally. For example despite in 2013, when I was voting for PTI and Imran Khan, if Ahsan Iqbal would have stood in my constituency, I would have voted for Ahsan Iqbal and he is from PMLN and it is because I