‘New Pakistan’
Symbol: Cricket bat
Leader & founder: Imran Khan
Bias: Centrist, nationalist, communitarian, anti-status, egalitarian and Islamic democratic
President: Javed Hashmi
Chairman: Imran Khan
Secretary General: Parvez Khattak
Stronghold: Central, Southern and Western Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Upper Sindh.
Analysis: Imran Khan appeals to much of the country’ young and cosmopolitan voters and as the other major candidates go, he most resembles a new Pakistan. He claims to blend various traditional, social, religious and cultural values with modern ones into common goals and aspirations for a just society based on Mohammad Iqbal's and Mohammad Ali Jinnah's vision of Islamic democratic culture. He has good, sincere positions on social security, welfare and the rule of law.
However, he may be less secular and liberal than people expect him to be. He has gone on record as saying Pakistan isn’t to be a secular country, has been uncomfortable having anything to do with Salman Rushdie and has said he may not challenge certain hudud laws. He is running from a Pashtun constituency, as a Pashtun himself remains conscious of his peoples’ conservativeness.
But Imran Khan is a vocal opponent of US drone strikes and comes across as the least corruptible candidate in the race. There are no financial scandals associated with him, on the contrary his philanthropy and charities are well known in his region. It is possible that he could steer Pakistan politics towards a more principled future.
