10:12 AM
Ubaid
At the height of his cricket glory days, Imran Khan would visualise winning – standing on the podium, cup held aloft – and propelling Pakistan to victory. That Sunday, on the 30th of October,, standing before a sea of supporters in Lahore, he had a similar epiphany about his political career.
As I stood there, watching all those people around me, I knew the moment had come.
Whether the former cricket captain can translate his promises into reality is hotly debated. Yet we all know that that rally sent shockwaves across Pakistan's political system.
Over 100,000 people were crammed there. Many were middle-class Pakistanis – young, urban, educated – drawn by Khan's rhetoric and their anger at conventional politics.
That was the emergence of a new force. The cry for change was resonating across Pakistan. Young, old, professionals, women – I've never seen such people at a public meeting in Pakistan before. But many people are still sceptical that Khan represents real change. They say they have heard this rhetoric many times before. They are cautious about it. They don't know what agenda he is really promoting.
For years, Imran Khan has campaigned on a platform of what some call "anti-politics" Now, he says, he has been proved right.
His plan for the economy is to "inspire" Pakistanis to pay tax – currently only 2% do so. In power, Khan said, he would cut off American aid. "I want to be a friend of the Americans, not their lackey. Aid is a curse for a poor country; it stops you making the required reforms and props up crooks."
But perhaps most alarmingly for Pakistan's western allies – and some Pakistanis – Khan says he would negotiate with instead of fighting the Taliban militants who have been bombing Pakistani cities.
His political views are firmly rooted in a particular view of Islam. He does not favour changes to the notorious blasphemy law – a virulent debate that led to the assassination of his friend Salman Taseer. He thinks that the time is not right, and that there would be bloodshed. He feels that we need to worry about other things.
And he is careful to direct his barbs away from the powerful military, which controls relations with India, the US and the fight against the Taliban. Although Khan enthusiastically criticises [former president Pervez] Musharraf, who is now in exile, he has little criticism of the army chief, General Ashfaq Kayani.
Khan enjoys a reputation for probity, having set up a cancer hospital in honour of his mother, who died of the disease. He also has a flash of glamour. A famous Pakistani pop band, Strings, opened his rally rally; supporters include his former wife, Jemima Khan, who attended a recent press conference in Islamabad to protest at CIA-led drone strikes in the tribal belt.
For some Pakistanis, Khan simply represents a protest against a moribund political system. "He's a bit of an idiot," said an architect from Lahore. "But he's better than the rest. I would vote for him."
To achieve his dream of becoming prime minister, Khan needs to convert his newfound popularity into seats in parliament (he has none, having boycotted the 2008 poll). To do so, he may have to recruit the same "corrupt" politicians to achieve a majority.
And time is short. Pakistan's next election is set for February 2013 at the latest, although a snap election is a possibility.
His party remains weak, he has few candidates and, crucially, many of his supporters have never voted before. Whether they will now is perhaps the biggest unknown in Pakistani politics today.
Danish Azeem
