KARACHI, 13 August — Pakistan’s cricketer-turned politician Imran Khan launched the election campaign for his Tehrik-e-Insaf party here on a promising note.
What was significant, however, was that, instead of toeing the official line, he called for a neutral setup to conduct the polls for a new Parliament in October.
He thus removed the impression that he had been patronized by the government of President Pervez Musharraf to counter two of his archrivals, the Pakistan People’s Party and the Pakistan Muslim League of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Addressing a huge rally at the Nishtar Park here Sunday night, Imran said "Like cricket, we want elections too under a neutral umpire." The cheering crowd of over 50,000 supporters included party men and fans brought from outside Karachi, but the fact that such a gathering did take place in a city which is known to be the stronghold of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, did come as a morale booster for the Tehrik-e-Insaf chief.
Imran, after winning the country its first cricket World Cup in 1992, tried his luck in the elections of 1997, but failed miserably. He, however, carried on with his mission, and seems to be getting closer to rewards.
The crowd yelled "long live Imran Khan", hailing him as the future prime minister of a country where politics have been treated as a taboo by the military.
The tall and lanky Pathan from the rugged regions of the Punjab province, he presented a new three-point manifesto before the people, which called for a society based on justice, and social equilibrium.
"The poor has been neglected in this country, and the rich ruling class remains oblivious of their plight," he said, promising to introduce a system in the country, on being elected, which would banish poverty, and hunger from the society.
Imran has been meeting some success in mobilizing support for his party which he floated shortly before the last elections in which he could not win his own seat.
He said he had chosen Karachi as the launching pad because this was the most sensitive and politically alive city of Pakistan. Most of the democratic movements started from here, and he was confident that people of Pakistan’s biggest metropolis would nit disappoint him.
