Letter to Imran Khan

The writer is a Pakistani entrepreneur based in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Dear Mr Imran Khan, my mind wanders to days long past and what now seems like a lifetime ago. I was but a child and you were a national hero without dispute.

You brought glory and joy to a nation. You built a glorious hospital in the loving memory of your mother that brings relief to countless souls in anguish. In the sporting arena you were a flag bearer who advocated neutrality and fair play. Yet, and I say this with absolute sincerity, without malice and as a common citizen addressing a national leader of significance, when I look at you now the hero I remember is nowhere to be found.

You invoked the holiest of references and touched people’s hearts by declaring that your vision for Pakistan was based on a desire to build a state that would be modelled after the Holy State of Madina. I present to you the words of Hazrat Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq (May Allah be pleased with him) the first caliph of Islam from his inaugural address. “O people, I have been appointed over you, though I am not better than you. If I do well, then help me; and if I act wrongly, then correct me. Truthfulness is synonymous with fulfilling trust and lying is equivalent to treachery.”

Do you for a moment believe that you followed even an iota of these lofty ideals? The moment you were granted the highest office in the land your test began. From the start you compromised on every principle you had preached. You betrayed every promise you had made. Voices of dissent and criticism were treated as a threat and silenced with ruthlessness. People were chosen to serve by your side not for their caliber but based on nepotism or for their political advantage.

The corruption you had vowed to eradicate was fostered under your very eyes. You made the law a tool for establishing tyranny. The constitution and established principles that did not suit your political interests were mocked with impunity. Truth was twisted by propagandists so that people no longer knew what to believe or who to believe. He who declares to follow the highest principles bears a heavy burden for the right path is a hard path. Ends do not justify means and the path taken matters. Perhaps if you had chosen the hard path, you would have lost power much sooner than three and a half years or not have gained power at all but even in that loss you would have been victorious, and our country would have been better for it. You would not have needed to seek refuge in falsehoods and fabricate narratives to justify your failures for your courage and conviction would have spoken for itself. Power acquired through lies and treachery however is always wiped out when confronted with the truth.

The state of Madina was the epitome of selfless service and symbolized truth, humanity, mercy, kindness, compassion, tolerance, forgiveness, equality, and justice. Far more important than raising slogans in the name of religion is the act of following its principles and practising its edicts. The traditions of the state of Madina are easy to preach but very hard to practice. If the gifts from the Toshakhana had been sold and the proceeds donated to feed just some of the countless children who go to sleep hungry in our country every night, no one would have dared to point a finger and the prayers of many would have ensured your protection from adversity. Such were the acts we were promised to expect. Such were the vows you made and broke. After all, that is exactly what faith is: believing in something your selfish common sense tells you not to; denying immediate gratification for hope of a greater reward. Easier said than done.

As we witness a fascist regime in India unleash a reign of unprecedented persecution and violent intolerance in a world preoccupied with its own self-interests this is a reminder yet again why we should be eternally grateful to our founding fathers for creating the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

It took us 24 years after independence to establish a constitutional framework recognized by all. There is now only one missing piece of the puzzle and one more task to complete. Establishing the ground rules for an electoral process, through dialogue and mutual consensus acceptable to all to ensure that our political entities can begin to accept defeat and acknowledge victory. Failure to do so will ensure that we remain forever trapped in this cycle of the vanquished refusing to accept the outcome and creating chaos and anarchy guaranteeing permanent instability. If neutrality actually exists, this is not an unattainable goal.

Just as you faced a test when you were granted power, you now face a test upon the loss of that power. Yet again you seem to have elected the wrong path. In utter disregard for our national interests, you have chosen to mislead and manipulate to detract from your failures by feeding susceptible minds a false narrative that you for sure in your heart know to be untrue. Your willingness to fuel volatile emotions with reckless abandon and for political advantage is astoundingly irresponsible and reflects the darkest kind of narcissism. You lash out at your opponents with derogatory slurs and in doing so promote the acceptability of abuse, intolerance, and vigilantism. Your presumption of entitlement to distribute certifications of piety and patriotism is appalling as well as perilous. Instead of uniting us you seek to divide us from within. You blame everyone but yourself.

I beseech you to take a pause. Find a moment of absolute solitude away from all the sycophants that surround you and the noise that distracts you. These sycophants will ultimately abandon you and reinvent themselves as your loudest critics as they have done to others before you. Their only goal is to remain associated with power and influence by any means and no matter what the cost. Have a conversation with yourself and pray for guidance. Invite only your harshest critics and hear their point of view and for once don’t speak just listen. Do your own appraisal and be your worst critic. Above all, seek humility and shun arrogance. No one knows everything and we can learn from everyone. There is great solace in acknowledging one’s mistakes as well as inadequacies.

Surely if your intention is pure and noble, you will find redemption and we may yet again be reacquainted with the hero we have lost to this dark transformation. Disregard all voices that encourage political expediency and raise doubts by citing the damaging consequences of an act or gesture to your narrative. Facing an inconvenient truth is far better than choosing an opportunistic lie. Despite our seemingly insurmountable differences and the anger that fills our hearts, we can find common ground for all Pakistanis to repay the debt we owe to our founding fathers. Surely, we as a nation have far greater tasks and challenges to occupy our efforts than a battle of twitter trends, ceaselessly trading insults and accusations on social media and constantly demeaning and belittling each other.

History is unkind and unforgiving to those who build an edifice on intrigue and duplicity. You have a unique opportunity even now to rewrite your legacy. Every bridge that was burnt can be rebuilt and the only way to undo a dark past is to create a bright future. The hand that is raised to embrace is far more powerful than the hand raised to strike. If you choose to inspire rather than incite, unite rather than divide, support the resolution of differences through respectful discourse and disseminate a message based entirely on truth and truth alone, I promise you I will be rooting for you.

Email: sar@icloud.com

Twitter: @viewpointsar