Is Imran Khan a Reincarnation of Bhutto?

Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Imran Khan are two towering figures in the history of Pakistani politics. Both rose to prominence but in different ways. While Bhutto became popular on the national and international stage through politics, Khan was famous at a young age as a world renowned cricketer, a celebrity and a star.

Cashing on his fame as the captain of a world cup winning cricket team, he stepped into politics which was replete with difficulties and hardships for him. It cost him over two decades to reach the post of premiership. In Election 2018, Imran’s party emerged as the single largest political party in the country.

after Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Khan is the second leader in political history of Pakistan who has aroused the emotions of extreme loyalty to the leader in his followers.

Though the comparison between the two leaders and their followers may seem easy, but in reality it isn’t that straight. The complete analysis will take at least a booklet, but owing to the space constraints, some prominent similarities and differences are being briefly mentioned below:

Similarities:

Charisma: Both Bhutto and Khan have charismatic personalities. Being firebrand leaders, they can cast a spell on the minds of people through their powerful speeches.

Focus on the Welfare of the Public: On coming to power, Bhutto introduced great reforms to lift the people from the lowest economic stratum of the society. His slogan “Roti, Kapra and Makan” meaning “bread, clothes and accommodation”, become very popular.In like the same way, in his victory speech, Khan has also promised to introduce policies which will raise the standard of people living below the poverty line.

Unable to Get Simple Majority: When Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party won elections in 1970, it could not get simple majorityto form government at center. It was only after the separation of the eastern organ (now Bangladesh) that he was able to become the Prime Minister of Pakistan.

In the 2018 elections, though Khan’s PTI has emerged as the largest political party in the country, it is still unable to form government at the center without the support from coalition parties.

Country Passing through Crisis: At Bhutto’s time, the country had passed through an Indo-Pak war which resulted in the separation of East Pakistan and its emergence as an independent state, Bangladesh. At the same time, the country was also passing through severe economic crisis.

Similarly, when Imran Khan is going to be the Prime Minister of Pakistan, he will have to deal with debilitating economic conditions. The country is under the heavy foreign debt. In addition the circular debt has also soared so high. So, Khan’s government will have to work hard and devise effective strategies to take the country out of the economic crisis.

Conclusion:

Though Bhutto and Khan do bear certain similarities, the differences between them are also of grave nature. While both the leaders possess the same vision, their approaches seem to be different.

Looking at his sincerity, dedication and humbleness, Khan seems to be better leader than Bhutto. However, nothing can be said for certain as Khan has yet to be elected as the Prime Minister. If he is able to deliver his promises, it will definitely be a big unprecedented change in the history of Pakistan which will be remembered by the generations to come.