News Right Now: Imran is the Status Quo

 Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu. Welcome to News Right Now - Imran is the Status Quo

The rise of Imran Khan to the position of Prime Minister of Pakistan made international headlines, not just for the fact that Khan is a legendary Pakistani cricketer, but because he defeated the deeply entrenched parties of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League (PML) with promises of a new Pakistan free of corruption.

After decades of military dictators, chronically corrupt politicians, and a crippled economy, the Pakistani people have spoken loud and clear that they're pinning their hopes on a new candidate that promises a new vision for Pakistan. His concern for the poor, his vision for equality and justice, and his protection of the rights of all of Pakistan's citizens have inspired the confidence of millions.

But behind the scenes, Khan's rise to power tells a tragic story of yet another conspiracy against the Ummah by the colonial powers and their agents.

Imran Khan has been involved in Pakistani politics since the late 90's but never amassed public support. Khan's recent success is the result of an elaborate set of political maneuvers designed to clip the wings of Pakistan's two most entrenched political parties; the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) by the country's all-powerful military.

The Pakistani army's role in Pakistani politics can't be understated. For the past 30 years, the Pakistani military has supported one candidate against another to achieve their desired outcome.

But now it deems both the PPP and the PML unfit to steer Pakistan into the future and have cultivated the only viable political option they have left; Imran Khan and his Tehreek e Insaf Pakistan (PTI) party.

As part of their strategy, the Pakistani army orchestrated Khan's rise to power, funding Khan's rallies, forcing members of PPP and PML to defect and join Khan's PTI party, leading some to call it "Pakistan's Turncoat Industry". The army worked with the judiciary to launch a corruption charge against the current Prime Minister and pressured the media to give Khan positive coverage. It also directed militant groups under its control to support Khan in the elections.

In an aptly written commentary on ForeignAffairs.com, analyst Christine Fair states, "In Pakistan, it's the army that ultimately wins elections".

Khan didn’t rise to power on the merit of his deeds and the soundness of his vision, he was hand-picked for the job by the only institution in Pakistan that truly wields any power - the military.

When we consider the heavy influence that the US has on the Pakistani military, it can be said that in Pakistan there aren't elections, there are "selections".

Imran Khan's rise to power repeats a pattern that the Muslims of Pakistan have seen many times before... time and again fresh politicians emerge, fueling their campaigns with hope and a promise of a better future, only to be confined by the very system they promised to change.

Just like Erdogan of Turkey, Ghanoucchi of Tunisia, and Morsi of Egypt, anyone that enters the political system without directly uprooting the foundations of the secular systems is destined to fail.

In fact, often times the political establishment will pave the way for their victory and welcome the change in faces, as long as the foundations of the state, its constitution, and political establishment remain untouched.

A change in faces is a cheap trick employed by the colonialists and their agents to divert the attention of the Ummah and contain the hopes Muslims have for a real and radical change.

The Ummah should be politically aware to reject these phony solutions, see through these ploys, and demand nothing less than a complete and radical change that uproots the secular systems and replace it with the Khilafah Rashidah that the Prophet (s) promised in the noble hadith...

“Then there will be a Khilafah on the footsteps of Prophethood” [Musnad Ahmad]

Jazakum Allah khairan for listening. Wassalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu.