Meet the New Pakistan, a Lot Like the Old Pakistan
Imran Khan claims a fresh vision, but he’s backed by established power brokers.
A man reads a newspaper reporting Pakistan's election results in Karachi, on July 26.
Photographer: Asim Hafeez/Bloomberg
“We will run Pakistan like it has never been run before,” said Imran Khan during his first televised address after his party’s decisive election win on July 25. He did so below a picture of a young Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the nation’s revered founder when it won independence from the British Raj in 1947.
Khan outlined a blueprint for a “New Pakistan” modeled on Jinnah’s vision. Malnourished kids would have enough food. Poor farmers would get more cash. The rich would pay taxes. Corruption would end. Terrorism would stop. Minorities would feel safe. And Pakistan would get along with everybody—even archrival India.