Imrans naya
Pakistan and the Madina dream
ZAHID SHAHAB
AHMED
SOON after commencing
his cricketing career in the 1970s for Pakistan a cricket-crazy
nation Khan became a celebrity. The climax of his career was when
he led Pakistans cricket team to victoryin the
World Cup in 1992. Simultaneously, he carried out charitable work and
established the Shaukat Khanum
Cancer Hospital in Lahore. He entered politics after founding the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in 1996. He
won a National Assembly seat from his hometown, Mianwali,
in 2002. After boycotting the 2008 elections, PTI emerged as the second-largest
party in terms of votes in the 2013 elections and formed a coalition government
in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. To the surprise of many
political analysts, PTI won enough seats to elect Khan as the countrys 22nd prime minister in August 2018. This was a priceless
victory, after nearly 22 years in politics, in which his promises to his voters
played an important factor.
Leading up to the 2018
general elections, Khan made bold promises to create a Naya
Pakistan (New Pakistan) and a state based on the ideals of the first Muslim
state (Riyasat-e-Madina).
So, how was Pakistan going to be new as per Khans vision? While comparing himself with
erstwhile leaders of the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz)
[PML-N] and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Khan vowed
that he would live a simple life without any luxuries.1 As is clear from the manifesto of his party,
Khan promised that he would achieve the target of Naya
Pakistan through a range of measures, including punishing corrupt leaders,
fixing the crisis-ridden economy and promoting the rule of law and an Islamic
welfare state.2
Before presenting a
scorecard on Khans government, it is important to highlight a couple of issues
that created a legitimacy crisis for the PTI government. The first was PTIs inclusion of several key members who were previously in
other parties that Khan labelled as corrupt. These
included prominent names like Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood
Qureshi and Minister for Information and Broadcasting
Fawad Chaudhry, both of
whom were part of the PPP. The second was the issue of the militarys influence in the 2018 general elections favouring
Khan. While Khan repeatedly denied any such favours,
it is no secret that his party has close connections to some generals in the
Pakistan Army.
There is a long
history of the Pakistan Army influencing domestic politics, and this was also
reflected when the PTI and opposition parties jointly endorsed an amendment in
the 1952 Army Act that ultimately allowed the controversial three-year
extension in the tenure of General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Army Staff,
in 2020.
Before discussing the
austerity measures, it is important to explain certain concepts that are
central to the PTI. As mentioned earlier, these included the creation of an
Islamic welfare state based on the model of Riyasat-e-Madina. But what were those ideals in Khans view?3 He described what he
meant by an Islamic welfare state, The Holy Prophet (PBUH
Peace Be Upon Him) and Khulafa-e-Rashideen practically materialised
this thought [welfare state] in the first Hijri
century.4 On 11 November 2019,
he also sent the following message via Twitter: The Holy Prophet
(PBUH) founded the State of Madinah on modern principles
of Rule of Law, Human Rights, Compassion, Meritocracy & the Pursuit of
Knowledge as a sacred duty. If a state follows was these principles, it will
rise.5
Linked to the concept
of the first Muslim state was Khans claim of simplicity
like that of the first four caliphs. Soon after coming to power, he initiated
several austerity measures and these included refusing to live in the luxurious
Prime Ministers House, auctioning luxury cars bought by previous
governments and selling milk cows. The auction was held at the prime ministers residence in Islamabad, and eight cows were sold for
roughly US$ 19,000 (S$ 25,818).6
A key focus of this
austerity drive was on the prime ministers personal expenses,
paid for by public funds, which the Khan government claims reduced
significantly from PKR 218 million (S$ 1.62 million) to PKR 46 million (S$
342,500).7 Khan remained consistent with his humble
dressing as he continued to wear simple local attire (shalwar
and kameez) even during his overseas trips.8 However, his simplicity claims were not free
from criticism as the opposition questioned him about using a helicopter
between his home and office and chartered flights during international travels.9 As soon as Khan was removed from office, the
new government reported that Khans helicopter rides
from the Prime Ministers House to his residence in Islamabad cost
taxpayers PKR 980 million (S$ 7.2 million) during the PTI governments tenure.10
The key elements of an
Islamic welfare state include pro-poor policies and actions. Building on his
charitable work and credibility, Khan continued with some important
initiatives. These included shelter homes for the homeless, langars
(communal free kitchens) and health cards for the marginalised
segments. In 2019, Khan launched the Ehsaas-Saylani Langar scheme under the Poverty Alleviation and
Social Safety Division to provide free food to the poor twice a day. This programme was a collaboration
between the government and the Saylani Trust; and the
plan was to open 112 soup kitchens (langars) in the
first phase within the first year. While the target of phase one was not
achieved, langars were opened in major metropolitans
like Islamabad, where a langar fed around 600
to 800 people daily.11
Government officials
and PTI leaders were often seen visiting these langars
and eating alongside the poor. This programme was
important because the 2021 Global Hunger Index ranked Pakistan at 92 out
of 116 countries.12 In addition, there was the health card scheme,
Sehat Sahulat Program13 for the needy, through which the government
provided a maximum of PKR 1 million (S$ 7,600) per family annually, for all
kinds of medical procedures, including cancer treatment and open-heart surgery.14 Further, the government opened 17 shelter
homes and had a plan to double that number to provide accommodation for the
homeless.15
While these are
important initiatives, feeding Pakistans poor is a momentous
task considering the sheer
scale of the need. During the PTI governments tenure income
inflation was constantly increasing, making it challenging to address the needs
of the marginalised in the country.16 This fact was
demonstrated through the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics data showing an increase
in the number of moderately to severely food-insecure households from 15.9 per
100 households in 2018-2019 to 16.4 in 2019-2020. As more people were pushed
below the poverty line,17 the government needed to spread the web of its
social services.18
The Riyasat-e-Madina was established
because of the Constitution of Madina. It was
believed to be written during 622-624 CE, where non-Muslims were guaranteed the
same political and cultural rights as Muslims. On this front, Khan focused on
interfaith harmony in Pakistan. He appointed Maulana Tahir Ashrafi as the Special
Representative of the Prime Minister on Interfaith Harmony. Ashrafi
regularly met with religious leaders of other faiths and sectarian groups and
was even spotted praying inside a church in Pakistan.19
The PTI government was
also lauded for its commitment to initiatives like the Kartarpur
Corridor an important religious site for Sikhs which opened in 2019.20 While such gestures were important, much
remained to be done to provide safety and security and equal rights to religious
minorities who became extra vulnerable after the Talibans takeover in Afghanistan in August 2021.
During Khans term, violent religious extremism remained a major
challenge and was witnessed through the murders of a Pakistani Christian and a
Sri Lankan worker due to blasphemy accusations.21 In this regard, the National Action Plan (NAP)
on Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) and terrorism is an important policy
document that needed further amendments to counter extremist narratives against
sectarian and religious minorities. While the government produced the new 2021
NAP with emphasis on uniform CVE laws, regulating places of worship and
countering extremism through madrassas and public and
private schools,22 there was no mention of how extremist narratives
would be countered.
A troublesome aspect of
the PTI government was the way it tackled corruption. There were several
corruption cases against opposition leaders, including Nawaz
Sharif of the PML-N and Asif Zardari
of the PPP. Khan made his intentions clear during the election campaign of 2018
when he said, The self-proclaimed kings go abroad and buy palaces and
expensive properties. They siphon funds from here and their kids sit abroad on
billions in businesses.23 He
promised that he would bring back that looted money.24 Despite being
convicted, Sharif was allowed to travel to London for medical treatment and
since then has not returned.25 Hence the
looted money never returned to Pakistan under the PTI government.
Overall, the PTI
government was unable to handle this massive corruption challenge. Despite its
claims that there was zero corruption under the PTIs administration,26 a Trans-parency International report found Pakistan sliding from 16
spots to 140 out of 180 countries in its corruption perception survey.27 The report, however, made no mention of the
PTI government being corrupt. Khan failed to fulfil
his promise of ending corruption within 19 days of his government.28
In the lead up to the
2018 general elections, Khan also made promises to address a variety of
challenges, including poverty and corruption. While his government implemented
various pro-poor initiatives, the task became more difficult with the outbreak
of the Covid-19 pandemic and income inflation. As the countrys economy continued to deteriorate, Khan was left with no
choice but to
ask for loans from other states and the International Monetary Fund. The poor
economic situation and continuous income inflation pushed millions more below
the poverty line, thereby increasing the demand for the governments schemes, such as langars, shelter
homes and health cards.
With limited funds, it
was highly unlikely that such services would reach out to all those who needed
them. Nonetheless, such initiatives were central to Khans vision of an Islamic welfare state and his governments plan was to expand these initiatives. These were done,
albeit at a slow pace. However, these were not permanent solutions as millions
needed equal opportunities to be able to earn a respectable living. That could only be done through
the creation of a conducive environment where industries throve, and foreign
invest-ment grew ultimately creating
more job opportunities. With regards to violent extremism, the government
revised the NAP but this plan needed regular appraisals to ensure that
extremist narratives and hate crimes were constantly tackled.
In conclusion, Khan initiated several programmes to actualise his
vision of Riyasat-e-Madina.
However, these initiatives faced serious challenges. His pro-poor programmes needed more resources, given that there was
great need, particularly following the Covid-19 pandemic. The dilapidated state
of the economy made it difficult for the PTI government to allocate necessary
and much-needed resources towards such welfare schemes. Similarly, Khan needed
to do more for interfaith harmony and protection of religious minorities, which
were central to the Riyasat-e-Madina.
Overall, Khan was nowhere near to achieving his Naya
Pakistan by the time he left office in April 2022. Such a report card might
affect the PTIs ability to win another federal election in
Pakistan.
Footnotes:
1. Adam Withnall,
Imran
Khan Sheds Hundreds of Servants and Says Pakistans Elite
Must Pay Tax as His First Cabinet is Sworn in, Independent,
20 August 2018. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/
imran-khan-pakistan-tax-rich-prime-minister-servants-cabinet-swearing-in-a8499591.html.
2. The Road to Naya Pakistan: PTI Manifesto 2018.
https://pmo.gov.pk/documents/manifesto-pti.pdf, pp. 6-7.
3. Imran
Should Stop Politics on Riyasat-e-Madina,
Pakistan Observer, November 2019.
https://pakobserver.net/imran-should-stop-politics-on-riyasat-e-madina-marriyum/
4. PM Imran
Reaffirms Resolve to Make Pakistan an Islamic Welfare State,
The Express Tribune, 10 November 2019.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2097041/1-eid-miladun-nabi-president-alvi-pm-imran-reiterate-efforts-establish-welfare-state
5. See
https://twitter.com/imrankhanpti/status/1193540328382517251
6. PM Imran
Khan Sells Sharifs Cows at a Premium,
Khaleej Times, 27 September 2018. https://www.khaleejtimes.com/article/pm-imran-sells-sharifs-cows-at-a-premium
7. PM House, PMO Expenses
Reduced to Rs 46m in PTI Govts Austerity Drive,
The Express Tribune, 8 March 2021. https://tribune.com.pk/story/2288090/pm-house-pmo-expenses-reduced-to-rs46m-in-pti-govts-austerity-drive
8. See
https://images.dawn.com/news/1188527
9. Tahir Imran and Patrick Evans, Imran
Khan Mocked for Helicopter Home-to-Work Commute, BBC,
30 August 2018. https://www.bbc.com/news/blogs-trending-45356096
10. Sanaullah
Khan, Govt
Claims Rs 980m Spent on Imran Khans
Back-and-Forth Air Travel from PM House to Bani Gala,
Dawn, 21 April 2022. https://www.dawn.com/news/1686115
11. Ehsaas
Langar, Government of
Pakistan. https://www.pass.gov.pk/userfiles1/files/Ehsaas%20
Langar%20English_2022.pdf
12. Pakistan,
Global Hunger Index. https://www.globalhungerindex.org/pakistan.html
13. See https://www.pmhealthprogram.gov.pk/
14. Number of Hospitals to
be Increased to 1000 Under Sehat Sahulat
Program by March: CEO, Daily Times, 16 January 2022.
https://dailytimes.com.pk/869670/number-of-hospitals-to-be-increased-to-1000-under-sehat-sahulat-program-by-march-ceo/
15. Shabbir Hussain, Ehsaas
to Open 17 New Shelter Homes, The
Express Tribune, 19 July 2021.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2311345/ehsaas-to-open-17-new-shelter-homes
16. Inflation, Pandemic
Pushing People into Poverty in Pakistan, WION, 10
August 2021.
https://www.wionews.com/world/inflation-pandemic-pushing-people-into-poverty-in-pakistan-404665
17. Poverty in Pakistan Up
from 4.4% to 5.4%: World Bank, WION, 22 June 2021.
https://www.wionews. com/south-asia/poverty-in-pakistan-up-from-44-to-54-world-bank-393089
18. Shabbir Hussain, Ehsaas
to Open 17 New Shelter Homes, op. cit.
19. Ahtesham
Khan, WATCH:
Muslims Pray Inside Peshawar Church in Show of Solidarity,
The Express Tribune, 31 January 2022.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2341291/watch-muslims-pray-inside-peshawar-church-in-show-of-solidarity
20. Zahid Shahab Ahmed, Reopening the Kartarpur Corridor: Tangible Benefits for Indo-Pak Ties,
ISAS Brief, Institute of South Asian Studies,
29 November 2021. https://www.isas.nus.edu.sg/papers/reopening-the-kartarpur-corridor-tangible-benefits-for-indo-pak-ties/
21. Enraged Mob Kills Man
Accused of Burning Koran in Remote Pakistani Village,
ABC News, 14 February 2022. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-14/man-accused-of-blasphemy-killed-by-mob-in-pakistan/100827244;
Shah Meer Baloch and Hannah Ellis-Petersen, Man
Tortured and Killed in Pakistan Over blasphemy, The Guardian, 22 December 2021.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/03/pakistan-sri-lankan-man-priyantha-diyawadana-tortured-killed-alleged-blasphemy-sialkot
22. Asif Chaudhry, New Anti-Extremism Policy to Keep Tabs
on Law Enforcement Ranks, Dawn, 22 January 2022.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1670809
23. PPP, PMLN Broke All
Records of Corruption: Imran Khan,
The News, 16 July 2018. https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/342409-imran-says-he-educates-people-about-problems-inflicted-by-pml-n-ppp
24. Kashif Zafar and Owais Karni, PPP, PML-N Looted Country by Turns: Imran Khan, The Express Tribune, 12 July
2018 https://tribune.com.pk/story/1755687/1-ppp-pml-n-looted-country-turns-imran-khan
25. Ayaz Gul, Pakistans Convicted
ex-PM Flown to London for Medical Treatment, Voice of America,
16 November 2019.
https://www.voanews.com/a/south-central-asia_pakistans-convicted-ex-pm-flown-london-medical-treatment/6179666.html
26. No Corruption Case
Surfaced During PTI Govt: Farrukh,
Associate Press of Pakistan, 25 January 2022.
https://www.app.com.pk/national/no-corruption-case-surfaced-during-pti-govt-farrukh/
27. Zulqernain
Tahir, Syed Irfan Raza and Amin Ahmed, Pakistans
Transparency Ranking Worse Off Under PTI,
Dawn, 26 January 2022.
https://www.dawn.com/news/1671455/pakistans-transparency-ranking-worse-off-under-pti
28. PTI Will End Corruption
in 19 Days, Terrorism in 90 Days: Imran Khan,
The Express Tribune, 26 February 2012.
https://tribune.com.pk/story/342104/pti-will-end-corruption-in-19-days-terrorism-in-90-days-imran-khan