When Pakistan Reverted to Type

Why Imran Khan’s ousting was the most predictable thing ever

You don’t know what you’ve got, ’til it’s gone.

I wrote this article in mid-2018 when Imran Khan first came into power. It’s definitely worth a re-read before you read on any further.

One line is hauntingly relevant, after the news of his ousting, yesterday.

“When asking an Islamic scholar a while back why do corrupt leaders keep getting re-elected or retained in Muslim countries he answered very simply, a leader is a reflection of its people. If you have a leader like Nawaz Sharif, it’s because there’s a bit of Nawaz Sharif in the people. If you have a leader like Trump, it’s because there’s a bit of Trump in the people.”

Despite Imran Khan’s best efforts (and they were monumental, masha’allah), you cannot change a rotten people, you cannot transform an innately corrupt culture, you cannot bring about root and branch reform and change a mindset that loves money and ego above all else, at least not in three years. This type of transformation requires a generational change in the culture itself and is a long term game.

Even the Prophet (SAW) himself took 13 years in Makkah to rid them of the jahiliyyah and bad habits of the past.

Ultimately, as Peter Drucker famously said “culture eats strategy for breakfast”. And despite some very forward-thinking and commendable strategies, the poisonous, short-sighted…