Thoughts on #ImranKhan: I met him briefly at @AJEnglish studios where we spoke about #Guantanamo. He was disgusted by #Pakistan’s role in handing ppl to US without any legal process like #Afghanistan ambassador to Pakistan @abdulsalamzaeef and me. 1/9
I met him again in 2011 at an event for girls’ library in Afghanistan organised by @yvonneridley. We spoke about #WoT, #Gitmo & #AafiaSiddiqui for whom he’d fought. CIA’s Raymond Davies had killed 3 Pakistanis in #Lahore & we discussed how this was the moment to get her back. 2/9
Khan opposed #WaronTerror from the outset. He marched in #London against #Iraq invasion. After becoming PM he bought peace and security to tribal areas and ended US drone strikes. He sought peace with #Taliban & honoured ppl of #Afghanistan. 3/9
He’s tried to remove the nation’s subservience to #USA which ruined #Pakistan. His silence on #Aafia and refusal to criticise #China’s treatment of #Uyghurs blemishes his record but Khan was not like any of his predecessors. His integrity & vision gave hope to all. 4/9
He was the 1st Pakistani PM in decades who didn’t have huge mansions in Europe & millions in offshore banks stolen from the nation. He sought to change how Pakistan is viewed outside & sees itself by speaking about faith, dignity, self-respect, accountability & justice. 5/9
His constant reference to #Islam, the #Madina model, enjoining good and forbidding evil, following the straight path, respecting minorities and reminding the nation that it was built on لا اله إلا الله meant that his enemies would multiply. 6/9
Khan’s determination to account
career politicians and dynasties that have bled the nation of its wealth and dignity through years of corruption and theft and, his refusal to tow the US line while speaking against #Islamophobia at the #UN sealed his fate in the short term. 7/9
career politicians and dynasties that have bled the nation of its wealth and dignity through years of corruption and theft and, his refusal to tow the US line while speaking against #Islamophobia at the #UN sealed his fate in the short term. 7/9
However, it’s my belief that he’ll be back stronger, with the backing of both the nation and its expats who are desperate to see #Pakistan as a land associated with principles, prosperity and dignity. What Khan began was a change that may take generations to realise. 8/9
But he set the ball in motion & no one will welcome a return to the corruption of the past without a fight on their hands. It’s time for Pakistanis everywhere to return to their faith, stand dignified and reject all forms of filth, corruption and servitude to all but Allah. 9/9
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