LAHORE – Former cricket captain Imran Khan was sworn in yesterday asPakistan’s prime minister, the Guardian *reportedlink*onSaturday.
The ceremony was a simple affair by Pakistan’s opulent standards, with justtea served instead of a set nine-dish menu – a first show of austerity by aleader who has promised to create millions of jobs and turn the primeminister’s sprawling official residence into an education facility insteadof living in it. It was also the apogee of the political career of thesportsman-turned-politician who has spent the past 22 years prowling themargins of Pakistani politics and railing against the country’s corrupt,dynastic politicians.
Khan led Pakistan to victory in the 1992 Cricket World Cup, and built aworld-class cancer hospital – but he has never held public office. Amonghis top challenges will be resolving a currency crisis that will require anInternational Monetary Fund (MF) bailout, and consolidating hard-won gainsagainst a 15-year Islamist insurgency. Khan also comes to power at a timewhen ties with on-off ally the United States and neighbours India andAfghanistan are particularly frayed.
“Imran Khan understands that there are grave difficulties: economic,governance and foreign policy challenges,” said Education Minister ShafqatMahmood.
“But he is confident. He is prepared. He has the sincerity,” he added.
More than 200 million Pakistanis, suffering unemployment, power shortagesand terrorist attacks, will be keeping their fingers crossed.
Wali Shah was sitting on a busy street corner in Islamabad’s upmarket F-7neighbourhood. He had travelled there a month ago from Punjab province tolook for work, without success. “But now that Imran Khan is PM, I amhopeful something good will happen,” Shah said. “Things are going to changefor Pakistan.”
Many working and middle-class Pakistanis see Khan as an incorruptibleoutsider who will impose discipline and honesty on the government. Khan, afirebrand nationalist, rose to power promising radical change, saying hewould redistribute wealth, hold the country’s political elite accountablefor corruption, make more people pay taxes, and improve the lives of thepoor by building world-class schools and hospitals.
Three weeks have passed since Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) partywon 151 of the 342 seats in the lower house of parliament, not enough for asimple majority. Khan’s first challenge has been cobbling together aprecarious coalition. The senate is controlled by the opposition.
“If the PTI is serious about ushering in deep-rooted change, it will needto pass key legislation, or otherwise build consensus around large-scalereform efforts. Finding a way to build bridges will be key,” said* Dawn* EditorKhurram Husain. “The incoming government will have to work with otherparliamentary parties, which will be a challenge in the current climate ofpolarisation.”
Critics accuse Khan and his team of inexperience. A council of 15 ministerswill be sworn in on Monday. Former chief executive Engro Asad Umar has beenchosen as finance minister and Shah Mehmood Qureshi will be the ministerfor foreign affairs. In a surprise move, Khan will retain around 18portfolios for himself.
“Saying Khan’s team is inexperienced is an understatement,” said AhsanIqbal, a minister in the last government of prime minister Nawaz Sharif,the now-jailed leader of the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN). “It’s onething to be enrolled in an introductory college course; these people arestarting kindergarten. They don’t know the first thing about running agovernment.”
Many are concerned that Khan, who has taken an increasingly conservativestance on issues of religion and human rights, will not push for aggressiveaction against Islamist militants. He also has little experience in foreignpolicy, which analysts fear could be exploited by an army that considersPakistan’s international policy its exclusive domain.
Khan won’t be able to achieve much unless he is able to develop a workingrelationship with, or be subservient to, Pakistan’s all-powerful military,famous for carrying out coups or ruling from behind the scenes.
“In Pakistan if you have two brothers and one is army chief and the otheris prime minister, even they will eventually end up fighting. The system isjust configured in this way,” said PMLN’s Iqbal. “Unless we correct thisinternal imbalance, Pakistan will keep crawling on, not failing, notsucceeding. It will not take off.”
The Pakistani military is widely accused of skewing the election in favourof Khan but denies the charge.
“I don’t see any immediate conflict between Khan and the army,” saidveteran journalist Nusrat Javed. “He will work with the [army’s] script. Heis not the man who will fix the civil-military imbalance.”