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Soon after the submission of the controversial vote of no confidence motion against the Prime Minister Imran Khan in the National Assembly on March 8 2022, I initially hit upon the idea of writing a letter to my leader (Imran Khan) highlighting all the reasons why I chose to support and follow him and though it would’ve been a small token of appreciation and admiration for the stallion on a personal level but I want the youth to know and realize the fact that we are on the verge of losing a true-hearted and a committed captain due to the follies of the deities of our times. So, I’m going to try play my part and pen down my thoughts and views relating to the whole fiasco that has unraveled in the past few days with the hope of making the youth understand how big of a slip-up would be committed on their part and how the ramifications of their miscalculation would affect our future as a nation by letting go of the sincerest and most dedicated chieftain our nation has had the opportunity of being blessed with.
Assessing from the above stated facts you can rightfully come to the conclusion that the so-called neutrality cannot be expected from my side at least for now anyways. Go ahead call me biased call me prejudiced but I’m going to jot down what comes from the heart as a youngster observing and reacting to the scene being unfolded in the country.
I still remember those dharna (sit-in) days, that age of political awareness especially for the youth, that spirit to stand up and question the long established norms and ideologies, that urge to strive for the truth and play a part in making decisions for the betterment of the country’s future. How my friend used to chant IK Forever every day from her car on our way back home from school. The trill and excitement for a prosperous future was nerve-wrecking and invigorating.
Then on 18th August, 2018 our hopes for a new beginning, a New Pakistan were channelized into reality and Imran Khan was sworn in as the twenty-second Prime Minister of Islamic Republic of Pakistan.
Once in office all the rational minds knew of the challenges the new government would have to deal with to pull the plundered country out of the abyss of socio-economic dearth resulting from the handiwork of those who formerly held the reins of the country.
Two years in office then an unprecedented pandemic loomed over the entire globe forcing the whole world to shut down. Now any person keeping up with the affairs of the world would know that as a result of COVID-19, the whole world had to bear the brunt of global recession and suffered economically as a result of abrupt decrease in global trade, depreciation of currency value etc. So, shifting the whole blame for economic crisis and inflation over the shoulders of the incumbent government is a sheer departure from rationality and sound judgement.
On international front, no former President/Prime minister of Pakistan has had the capacity or might I say the audacity to manifest the leadership qualities as a representative of Islamic faith and unity as that of Imran Khan. The man spoke extempore for nearly forty-five minutes at the United National General Assembly Session held in 2019 highlighting the rising trend of Islamophobia as well as the painful predicament of Kashmiris in Indian Occupied Kashmir.
March 15 has been declared to be the International Day to Combat Islamophobia after the UN adopted a consensus resolution introduced by Pakistan on behalf of the OIC.
“Islamophobia is a reality,” Permanent Representative of Pakistan Ambassador Munir Akram told the 193-member assembly, noting that the phenomenon was growing and must be addressed. He said PM Imran Khan was the first to raise the issue of Islamophobia at the UN in his historic 2019 address to the General Assembly and had repeatedly called for international attention and efforts to address it.
As far as governing policies and welfare projects are concerned, the Khan’s government after coming to power opted for the visionary approach rather than the optical approach (building roads and parks to please the eyes) by setting its agenda straight to work at the grass root level and help improve the conditions of the lower socio-economic strata of the society by launching various programs and schemes such as Ehsaas Program which is a social safety and poverty alleviation program launched by Government of Pakistan in March 2019. As of 2021, Ehsaas Programme has two major pillars, one is Ehsaas Emergency Cash (introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic) and the other is Ehsaas Kafalat, the latter program expanded its coverage from 7 million people to 10 million people in 2021.
The “Ehsaas Emergency Cash” program was Imran Khan’s principal welfare policy during the COVID-19 pandemic, it garnered admiration from the World Bank which listed it amongst the top global social protection measures and said that it ranked highly in terms of actual coverage rates compared to planned coverage rates. During the pandemic, the welfare program covered millions of lower-income Pakistani families with monthly stipends handed out to 13.2 million people.
Khan’s government introduced the scheme of Panagahs to facilitate the destitute and helpless people, while upholding their self-respect. ‘Panagahs’ protect the people from extreme weather conditions and chilling temperatures. These ‘Panagahs’ provide one star+ bed and breakfast facility with meals, essentials, hygiene and security standards. And, each ‘Panagah’ serves free meals to around 500 people and offers 100-bed facility for overnight stay.
On an individual level how can one forget the most memorable achievement of the establishment of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital. The institution is the brainchild of Prime Minister Imran Khan. The inspiration came after the death of his mother, Mrs. Shaukat Khanum, from cancer. During his mother’s illness, he also witnessed the plight of poor cancer patients in Pakistan’s hospitals, and deeply felt the need for a specialized cancer center in his country. He had a vision of making cancer treatment accessible to every Pakistani who needed it. Achieving this feat was in itself a tough row to hoe. The project was turned down many times and Imran Khan being a cricket super-star had to launch nation-wide campaigns for collection of funds.
I hope and I have faith in the fact that Imran khan will play till the last ball and not succumb to the pressure and growing criticism and brave the storm and cope with the current situation sagaciously as everything one desires is on the other side of the fear.
In the mornings, Imran Khan would address school assemblies and in the evenings he would travel through the streets. The generosity of the people of Pakistan was truly inspiring. By December 1994, Imran Khan had himself given almost half of what he owned to the Hospital. During this first phase of construction, over a million individual donors, from ordinary citizens to the rich and famous, donated cash, jewelry and other valuables to help the first SKMCH&RC transform from a dream into a reality.
Throughout his struggle period from fund collection days for Shaukat Khanum Hospital to the formation of Pakistan Tehreek- e- Insaaf and then taking control of the reins of the country as the Prime Minister, the one message, the one advice the leader has always imparted to his followers is to never give up one one’s dream, one’s rightful conviction no matter how trying the times may seem. The ball may not always be in your court but that doesn’t mean to abandon your goals and principles.
I hope and I have faith in the fact that Imran khan will play till the last ball and not succumb to the pressure and growing criticism and brave the storm and cope with the current situation sagaciously as everything one desires is on the other side of the fear. May the odds be ever in the favor of Pakistan. Ameen!!
A contributed article by Sunbal Nawaz Lashari
A precise piece…