IMRAN KHAN - . A one-eyed king in a kingdom of blind.

I remember the blistering summers of 2014. Pakistan was shackled in clutches of corruption, crime and credit crisis. And these were only the C’s. There was so much wrong with the country.

Coffers of state were drained empty, economy was in tatters, and we were buried in billions of dollars of debt. There was democracy in Pakistan, but you could buy a vote for the price of a loaf of bread.

Prime Minister of Pakistan was in Supreme Court on charges of electoral fraud, but we all knew it would amount to nothing. After all, judges could be bribed and laws could be bent for the rich and powerful. Terrorist attacks and bomb blasts had become part of our daily lives. I remember the night a bomb exploded in a police station less than a mile away from my home. Two police officials had died and a few were injured, yet the news hardly received any media coverage. This was the Pakistan of 2014 etched in my mind.

Amid all this mayhem, appeared Khan, a messiah who claimed to shatter the steel sheets of status quo. On August 14th 2014, Imran Khan beckoned Pakistanis to march towards Islamabad, the powerhouse of Pakistan. We answered his call. And why would not we? Tall, handsome, and charismatic, Imran Khan was the leader we had all been waiting for. He was a graduate from Oxford University. He was author of half a dozen books. He was the captain of World Cup winning team of Pakistan Cricket in 1990s. Cricket is like a religion in Pakistan, and cricket players are worshiped like prophets.

Khan was a celebrity, not only in Pakistan, but in other parts of world. He was a chancellor at University of Bradford in UK. He married to the daughter of one of the richest families in UK. He was offered roles as a lead actor in Bollywood movies. And above all, he was a philanthropist. He built free cancer hospitals, universities, colleges, and spearheaded many charity campaigns in the country.

Hence, when Imran Khan called out Pakistanis in 2014, tens of thousands of people poured into the streets and marched from all over the country to join Khan’s cause. I was one of them. Growing up in Pakistan, I was a die-hard fan of Khan. I remember having his poster stamped on my school locker. To me, he was a superhero ripped straight out of a Marvel comic book. And it was not just me. A huge slice of Pakistani youth population lionized him.

My house was not far from the protest spot, so I would often visit with my friends and family to listen to Khan, as he addressed the nation every night. His speech was music to our ears. We would listen to him engrossed, as he electrified and charged us with his eloquence and charm.

We would paint our faces in colors of red and green, and shout slogans of revolution. We would sing and dance to the beat of patriotic songs, while waving resplendent banners and flags. And we would dare to dream for a ‘New Pakistan’.

A new Pakistan not marred with corruption and injustice, not ruled by criminals and plunderers. A new Pakistan where everyone was equal before law. A new Pakistan where the rights of minorities and transgenders were championed. A new Pakistan where the oppressed, the vulnerable, and the ones crumbling under the endless cycle of abject poverty were given a shoulder to lean on. After decades of corruption and unspeakable inequities, we dared to dream for a new Pakistan. Under the helm of Khan.

And Khan with his fiery speeches, laced with poetic expressions and powerful words, sparked hope in our hearts that, probably for the first time in the history of country, there is a leader who genuinely cares for us Pakistanis.

The protest was non-violent and lasted for four long months before it was called off due to a terrorist attack in a school that killed more than 100 students in December 2014. However, in those four months, Imran Khan flowered as a leader of people in 2014. In 2017, eventually, the then-Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif, was removed from office for corruption charges. In 2018 elections, Khan won with a massive majority and became the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan.

The night Khan won the elections felt like Christmas. We were jubilant. We rushed to streets again, but this time, to celebrate. We painted the skies with dazzling fireworks and exchanged little boxes of sweets with neighbors.

But perhaps we were naive. Because we were let down. Again! Because two years later today, not much has changed. There have been minor improvements. Prime Minister Khan has worked to improve Pakistan’s foreign policy and country’s tarnished image in the world. He introduced austerity drive in the government, cutting down salaries of minister and minimizing unnecessary expenditures. He fortified the National Accounting Bureau to impose draconian measures to eliminate corruption. But these achievements pale down in comparison to his shortcomings.

During his election campaign, he made tall claims and lofty promises to Pakistanis. Khan promised he would prefer death than another loan from IMF or World Bank. He promised 10 million jobs for lower class of Pakistan. He promised to bring all the looted money back to Pakistan. He promised to share a huge slice of budget for education and health. He promised justice, independent media, and strict accountability. He made a total of 49 promises in his election manifesto. Alas, as of now, only one saw the dawn of realization. Pakistanis continue to suffer. The economy is still in tatters. The poor and the disadvantaged are bearing the brunt of the consequences. And trust in politicians is slowly withering again.

Soon after coming to power, Khan probably realized Pakistan cannot be ruled without the aye of military and mullahs (religious leaders). Military take the highest cut from budget and many retired army generals are on important posts in Khan’s cabinet. Meanwhile, mullahs, with their tall turbans and fist-sized beards, enjoy plenty of power and influence among Pakistani public. Khan knows better than to anger mullahs because if you take a peek down Pakistan’s history books, you would see governments toppled and ministers mercilessly murdered with the wrath of bearded men. In 2018, Khan decided to bring in an internationally acclaimed and award-winning economist, Atif Mian, as his financial advisor. However, his decision garnered huge backlash because Mian was an Ahmadi. Ahmadis are minorities in Pakistan and radical Islamist are bent upon eradicating them from Pakistan. Soon after Mian’s appointment, protests broke out in country, and Khan had to bow down to the religious fanatics.

Recently, with the crumbling economy and Corona virus, Khan’s popularity among the public is waning like never before. Imran Khan has not lived to the the expectations of Pakistanis. However, this is not the first time we have been disappointed. Perhaps we hoped too big or expected too much from Khan. Or perhaps it is too early to judge Khan who was handed down a country in shambles, cities riddled with social issues, and an economy on the brink of bankruptcy.

Khan, in response to criticism, doles out blame at previous governments for looting the economy and destroying institutions in Pakistan. He claims change is coming in Pakistan, albeit slowly, but it is coming. But that is what every previous leader has said. Pakistanis are tired of lofty promises that are rendered to empty words after elections. Hope is running thin because while we can complain, the truth is, in a country full of corrupt politicians, Khan is the best leader at our disposal. A one-eyed king in a kingdom of blind.