Col (r) Ikram Ullah Khan
Before deliberating on the topic, let me explain for the convenience of common readers a broad meaning of the buzz word \”populist\” which has made the flavour of every tongue ever since Imran has gone to the public following his unceremonious exit from the corridors of power.
The term derives its origin from the widely used political term \”populism\” that pejoratively refers to various political groups and movements essentially considered as anti-democracy, but to those who carry this weird ideology, it pictures the \”populace\” as a group of people making a morally good force pitting themselves against \”the elites\”, who are portrayed as corrupt and self-serving and are considered as a band of exploitative elements deeply involved in corrupt practices.
The term developed in late 19th century and assumed the shape of a formal movement during the current century. The rise of populism is a defining characteristic of the present century. It\’s characterized by a logic that essentially runs counter to the basic spirit of democracy. The populists believe that in their battle against the elites they alone represent the public which according to political scientists, is against the basic postulate of democracy. They outrightly condemn their opponents as being enemies of common people. Their belief in the \”popular will\” which they claim can be understood by them only to the total exclusion of those who oppose them, leads to a web of conspiracy theories. It manifests itself in the form of mass rallies with extraordinary pull for and appeal to the populace.
According to Jane Werner Muller, a German professor of politics, \”populism is a specific form of identity politics that is critical of elites, anti-pluralist and has a moral claim of public representation\”. Jane Werner Muller in his book \”What is Populism?\”, succinctly sums up the concept of populism in just one liner as \”where democracy ends, populist peril begins\”.
After bidding adieu to the world of cricket around three decades ago, Imran Khan chose to make an entry into the political arena thinking that as a doughty fighter which he had proved himself to be when he won the much coveted world cup for Pakistan for the first time, he could face the daunting challenges in the field of politics too and could carve out a suitable niche for himself which he ultimately managed to do in 2018 after encountering successive failures preceding it. But unluckily, he couldn\’t maintain it and made a steep fall due to his flickering and impulsive disposition that pitted him against the experienced political wrestlers of the country who joined hands with each other despite their deep ideological differences only to knock out their common enemy.
Imran Khan after his ouster through a vote of no-confidence chose to hold public rallies in order to muster popular support to show to the powers both foreign and domestic that he wields extraordinary public backing who are ever ready to make sacrifices for the cause he is fighting for and that he can\’t be sidelined so conveniently. He is trying to turn himself into a populist leader which, to begin with, seems to elicit huge public response. But at the same time he must not forget the checkered and mystifying political history of Pakistan that such kind of popular response shown in public rallies/jalsas have always proved to be quite misleading with a bubble of emotions burst in front of all only to disappear in the thin air with a twinkle of an eye.
As a populist leader, Imran Khan feels confident and claims to command the will of the populace to stand like a hard rock against all that is immoral and is believed to represents the status quo. He believes that he is fighting a lone battle against all those who, according to him, are a symbol of falsehood, tyranny and exploitation. He has left no stone unturned to demonize them. He tries to convince the masses who are found rallying around him that he is the sole potent voice of the nation, the indefatigable defender of the downtrodden and a leader carrying a glimmer of hope for those who are up against the villainous forces who according to Khan\’s supporters are said to have robbed the country of their wealth and have impoverished the nation while raising their own empire both inside Pakistan and abroad.
Unfortunately, Imran Khan failed to set the correct priorities. Brushing aside a myriad critical issues like inflation, unemployment, poverty, soaring energy crisis, ever surging circular debt and widening current deficit, etc. plaguing the country which needed immediate attention, Imran made \”corruption\”, which he thinks is the mother of all problems, a one-point agenda and kept harping on it throughout his three-and-a-half years rule and manifestly wasted his time and energy on an issue he couldn\’t settle because he was not strong enough to fix the problem. In a bid to convince the credulous masses, he made a trail of false promises to the people which in his heart of hearts he knew he couldn\’t keep.
Lastly, it\’s crucial for the political survival of Imran Khan to build a narrative that divides the people into two distinct groups portraying one group as an evil incarnate and the other group led by him to represent those who are embodiment of virtue and righteousness. These two groups, according to Imran Khan, are fighting a perennial battle under their respective patrons to subdue each other. Seemingly, emotionally charged and politically induced crowd is all set to respond to Imran Khan\’s much alluring call. Who wins and who loses remains to be seen because in the existing fluid political situation, it\’s hard to predict with any amount of certainty about the final outcome as it has all the chances to end with some jaw-dropping experience. His long march to Islamabad may prove counterproductive if at all it takes place.