Well before Imran Khan was Pakistan’s prime minister, he was a paradox. For those of us who knew him—in my case as a professional journalist who has reported on and from Pakistan for decades—it was hard to reconcile the seemingly disparate parts.
Who is the real Imran Khan?
Is he “Im the Dim” as author Salman Rushdie disparagingly referenced him to describe his flamboyant Casanova years as a playboy pin-up who lived the superficial life? Or, is he the instinctively canny craftsman with an instinct for survival honed from his years as a cricketing superstar?
Before he became prime minister of Pakistan, Khan would often point out that there was no Pakistani politician who knew India as well as he did, both in the number of times he had visited as a private citizen and in the number of close friends he had here. His implication was that his rise would automatically translate into a strengthening of India-Pakistan relations.
This story is from the April 17, 2022 edition of THE WEEK.
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This story is from the April 17, 2022 edition of THE WEEK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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