*ISLAMABAD: Imran Khan, the prime minister-in-waiting, has the best chanceto reshape Pakistan’s image as he brings something new: more star power andmystique than any recent Pakistani leader, a leading American newspaperreported Monday.*

“For a nation often in the news for all the wrong reasons ” suicidebombings, horrific school massacres” Pakistan has reached a turning pointthat could possibly alter its dysfunctional trajectory,” The New York Timessaid in a dispatch from Islamabad.

“Imran Khan, the cricket star and A-list celebrity whose political partywon this past week’s elections, could use his fame and charisma to resetPakistan’s troubled relations with the West,” the newspaper said as theOxford-educated leader works to form his government following the July 25election which he overwhelmingly won.

Times’ correspondent Jeffrey Gettleman wrote that Imran has perhaps abetter chance to change the country’s narrative.

“Relatively few Pakistani leaders have won over the West,” MichaelKugelman, deputy director for the South Asia Programme at the WoodrowWilson Center in Washington, was quoted as saying. “But Khan is familiarwith operating in the international world. He already has strong namerecognition. He doesn’t need to be introduced.”

“In many ways, Pakistan is a pivotal nation. It is the world’s sixth-mostpopulous country, with 200 million people. It is also nuclear-armed andstrategically located next to India, China, Iran and Afghanistan,” it waspointed out.

Noting that for decades it has been cast in turmoil by suicide bombers andextremist groups, the Times said, “But many parts of the country are safertoday than they were a few years ago. New malls, new schools and new Dunkin– Donuts outlets are going up. And now Pakistan is poised to get a newglobal salesman.”

“It is widely expected that if Mr Khan, 65, becomes prime minister, therewill be an initial fascination with him as he tours the world. Most likely,he’ll visit foreign capitals and business titans, seeking help to solvePakistan’s dire debt crisis and bring in investors. He also seems to haveChina in mind…”

In an address to the nation last week, Mr Khan mentioned China no fewerthan seven times, praising it for lifting millions out of poverty and forfighting corruption. “God willing,” he said, “we’ll learn that from China.”

Pakistan, the dispatch pointed out, is hurtling toward possible default andinsolvency, and China has already lent it billions of dollars for new roadsand railways, at discounted rates. Two days after Khan’s speech, Pakistaninewspapers reported that China would lend the incoming government $2billion more for “breathing space.”

Referring to opposition parties’ criticism of the way the elections wereconducted, the Times said, “With the competition so thoroughly evisceratedand Mr Khan genuinely popular, especially among the youth, he now wouldsurge into office with a strong national following.”

According to the latest updated results released this weekend, his partywon nearly four million more votes than its nearest competitor, the PML-N.Khan’s party commands a huge lead in the National Assembly with more than100 seats, compared with PML-N. at around 64; it also performed well inprovincial assemblies.

“Khan might be more inclined to butt heads,” Marvin Weinbaum, a scholar atthe Middle East Institute in Washington and former State Departmentintelligence analyst, was quoted as saying. “The difference with Imran isgoing to be because he’s a populist, he feels he can go further than Nawaz.”

About his views on religion, the Times pointed to his stance that that hewants to reform the madrassa system.

Citing analysts, the dispatch said there are only two issues the Westreally cares about in Pakistan: militant groups and nuclear arms. But thebiggest issue that Imran Khan will control is the economy. “This is wherehe could shine as a leader or quickly be subsumed,” it said, pointing outthat Pakistan is facing a balance of payments crisis, its currency hasrapidly devalued, its debt is soaring.”

It quoted economists as saying that the steps the next prime minister musttake are obvious were painful. “The national budget needs to be cut,Pakistanis must pay more for energy, old state-run businesses need to beprivatized and taxes – many more taxes – need to be collected,” thedispatch said.

According to the Pakistani government, last year less than one million outof Pakistan’s 200 million people paid taxes. – APP/AFP