Acknowledging that Imran Khan’s election victory this week represents an opportunity for change in a country – mired in a range of problems – a major American newspaper has said the U.S., China and India should help the new government as improvement in the country will benefit all.
Khan offers a chance of change, however remote, for a country in dire need of it, The New York Times noted in an editorial.
“Any degree of success would benefit not only the Pakistanis, but also their neighbors and creditors, and the United States, which, for better or for worse, is tied to Pakistan in its struggle against Islamic terrorism.
“It would be wise for the Trump administration, as well as for India and China, to do what they can to ease Mr. Khan’s way,” the newspaper said as Khan’s PTI (Movement for Justice) party emerged as the largest single force in the nationwide polls.
The Times notes that the military threw its weight behind the PTI and Khan’s opponents are airing foul play, but says Khan’s party has done remarkably across the country.
“Still, his party scored big not only in the national Parliament but also in regional races across the country, a rare feat in Pakistani politics, giving Mr. Khan, 65, considerable leverage to pursue his goals. Those he listed in his victory address were a catalog of what urgently needs to be done.”
“His main call is to reform Pakistan’s woeful governance and put an end to the patronage networks that have facilitated widespread graft — his rallying cries since he abandoned an international athlete’s playboy lifestyle two decades ago and entered politics. Now projecting a devout Muslim image, he pledges to create an Islamic welfare state to raise up the poor.”
The editorial also looks at Khan’s foreign policy pronouncements, noting that he said he would “seek to improve relations with the United States, whose policies in the region he has fiercely criticized. President Trump has cut millions of dollars in foreign aid to Pakistan over charges that Pakistan gave safe haven to Afghan terrorists and “have given us nothing but lies & deceit,” as the president put it in a tweet in January. Mr. Khan also pledged to seek an end to the territorial dispute with India over Kashmir, which has long set the neighbors at loggerheads, and to improve relations with China, Pakistan’s major creditor.”
“How far Mr. Khan can go in changing Pakistan’s political culture, helping the poor and fixing foreign relations will depend on many factors, including what coalition he cobbles together, how much leeway the military allows him and how he manages a rapidly swelling debt. It will depend, too, on himself: Though indisputably charming and charismatic, he is also known for erratic behavior.”
Meanwhile, American media also recognized that Khan’s party- has broken the dynastic hold on the country’s politics.
“The victory for the 65-year-old ex-cricket captain turned anti-corruption crusader ends the decades long rotational grip of … Sharif’s PML-N and the PPP headed by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari — the son of assassinated former premier Benazir Bhutto — parties Khan accused of entrenched graft, which they both deny,” Bloomberg, an international news service, said in a dispatch.
In New York, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres congratulated Pakistan on holding the national elections.
“The Secretary-General looks forward to the formation of the new government and wishes it success in providing the people of Pakistan a stable, democratic, and prosperous future,” a UN statement added.
