RUNNING OUT OF PACE

A DEFIANT OPPOSITION ALLIANCE HAS TAKEN ON THE IMRAN KHAN GOVERNMENT AND, FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, EVEN THE PAKISTAN ARMY. WHERE WILL IT ALL END?

- HASAN ZAIDI IN KARACHI

Politics is a far more difficult game than cricket as Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan has learnt the hard way. The World Cup-winning cricket captain never tires of talking about his achievements on the pitch or drawing parallels between his sporting exploits and his political struggles. But the one thing that helped him achieve success on the pitch as a skipper—his self-belief and the arrogance that came with it—is possibly not the best match for the rough and tumble of politics or for governing a complex country.

Since he became prime minister in 2018 in a controversial election, Imran has found out that running a country of 220 million is a tough proposition—even if you have the umpires on your side. Of late, an increasingly vocal opposition (which disparages him as a “puppet prime minister” at every chance) and mounting public disaffection with his government’s economic policies have forced Imran to fall back on his cricketing instincts and dig in his heels. He has rubbished all well-meaning suggestions to reduce the polarisation within the country and has declared that he will “never be blackmailed”. In a recent speech, he claimed the opposition had only seen his softer side so far and vowed to show them “a different Imran Khan”.