Cracking the mystery that is Jibran Nasir

The fledgling name of Jibran Nasir in Pakistan’s political panorama has hauled interest from a hefty number of people around the country. But subsequent to the multiple fingers of allegations pointed his way, what does the future hold for the young leader?

Hailing from a small family with a housewife mother and a father from the catering industry, Jibran defines himself as someone who had put rationality over blind authoritarianism even as a child.

“I have always had the habit of arguing and questioning authority since childhood. I wasn’t ill-mannered, I was a very amicable kid but I would still try to reason things out,” stated the 31-year-old in conversation with The News.

The resilient and resolute leader that stands in the face of power and transgression today had revealed that the moment he decided to take charge of things and step up to alter the wrongs of society was right after he had completed his masters. “Pakistan had been engulfed in flooding at that time. When we set up our camp we saw so much enthusiasm and zest in the city’s youth that the camp that was only supposed to last a week went on for a month and a half. And instead of handing over the amount to a foundation, we were able to provide monthly ration to over 4,000 families ourselves. That’s when I realized there is a lot of good in the country,” he stated

The High Court advocate who contested from Karachi’s NA-247 constituency and had been routed after securing a total of 6,462 votes, claimed to have been content with the results but his concerns rested more on the course of action. “Yes, I was satisfied with the results of elections but it was the process that I wasn’t satisfied with. The process was turned controversial for no reason. We were satisfied with the results because I had contested without a party from an independent platform which is lacking in Karachi, and in spite of that if we had been prevailed over by one or two parties then we had also defeated quite a few which is really something.”

Amidst the conversation, Jibran revealed that he ranks himself amongst the middle class. “I have received my education from good schools but my parents had worked tremendously hard to give me that. I rank myself right now in the middle class because neither me nor my parents have a house of their own. Our family owns one car that too is 13 to 14 years old. The message of my campaign ‘Hum Mein Say Aik’ was to tell people to contest the elections not on the basis of any big industrialist or political backgrounds but solely on the basis of their own capabilities and I think we achieved that.”

Addressing the allegations placed on him about receiving foreign aids for his election campaign, Jibran stated that mere accusations by a few people cannot turn the situation into reality. “My campaign was funded by the public, and if someone claims that I’m getting foreign funding then that does not simply attest to their mere finger pointing.”

Upon being asked when the venerated leader will be launching his own political party, Jibran stated: “With time. I want my party to have a country-wide representation and for that I need to identify leaders all over the country who are actually working for the betterment of their regions. But at the same time, if years later Pakistan is at a position where I feel that all the problems have diminished then Jibran Nasir will probably be at home sleeping.”

The activist’s present-day incessant questioning of several of the country’s authoritarian forces brought him into the eyes of many, consequentially hurling various perils his way as well. However, coming from a conventional family, one is left wondering how a set of traditional parents deal with the burden of their child being under constant danger.

“These allegations have been placed on me since day one. I’ve even spent one year without a house owing to that fact because nobody was willing to rent out a house to someone under so many threats. Due to that my parents have also suffered so after all of this, even they have become very obstinate. Or maybe they’ve realized now that their son is so stubborn that he won’t listen despite their concerns,” he replied.

The issues of women being a concern close to my heart, I concluded the profound discourse wanting to see what a probable leader of the future might do to stamp out the noxious patriarchal frame of mind rampant in the society. Jibran responded saying, “I will walk under the guidance of women. Pakistan is filled with capable and strong women, they don’t need to be represented. I am no one to dictate the problems of women, they can do that themselves very well.”