Imran Khan cancels India trip over Rushdie
Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan — Reuters (File Photo)
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan on Wednesday abruptly cancelled a visit to India after it emerged British author Salman Rushdie would speak at the same conference.
Khan was scheduled to attend the India Today Conclave in New Delhi on Friday as a keynote speaker but pulled out, in a move likely to raise further fears among liberals about his brand of politics.
A statement from his party said “he could not even think of participating in any programme that included Salman Rushdie, who has caused immeasurable hurt to Muslims across the globe”.
Organisers announced on Tuesday that Rushdie would speak at the conference, two months after death threats forced him to withdraw from India’s premier literature festival.
Rushdie’s 1988 novel “The Satanic Verses” is still banned in India and Pakistan for allegedly blaspheming Muslims.
The 64-year-old writer, who was born in Mumbai, spent a decade in hiding after Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa in 1989 calling for his death over the book.
Khan guided his country to a World Cup win in 1992, entered politics after founding his Movement for Justice Party in 1996.
In recent months, he has emerged as a credible political voice in Pakistan, unnerving his opponents by drawing crowds of more than 100,000 to rallies in which he has promised a “good tsunami” against injustice and corruption.
Women and liberals have raised concerns, however, about Khan’s links with right-wing Islamic groups and his call for peace with the Taliban.
1) Imran Khan attends the conference-gets bashed by all the conservatives and loses votes.
2) Imran Khan does not attend the conference-gets bashed by all the liberals and loses votes.
3) Liberal-Conservative Ratio = 1:4.
No sane politician facing the same odds would have attended, regardless of his personal beliefs!
Perhaps you people need a lesson in electoral strategy and politics…
Some people in this world are destined for greatness and Imran Khan is no doubt one of them. keep it up !!
Its right decision taken by the Imran Khan…….
Suppose someone writes a book saying the earth is flat or Lincoln was a midget or Gandhi was the cruelest, who will agree? Will it change many minds?
If a book does not make any sense, why ban it or punish the writer? An illogical book would change minds of ignorant only. Why worry about that? Why Fatava? Shouldn't a strong ideology easily withstand non-sense attacks?
A logically sound attack, would survive and may even cause the ideology to improve.
Fatava implies that followers cant be trusted to differentiate between right and wrong. If Allah is kind why not the followers?
I would rather have an ideology survive on its own strength, not with threats and fear.
Imran Khan is very immature person. He will never be a world leader if he behaves like this. In this open society world, one has to learn to live and let live. I would have appreciated him if he had bones to stand up and come to the stage and make his point. If Imran wants to be leader in Pakistan which ultimately will take him to world stage he will have to come out of his shell. Very childish behavior, just to please few radicals.
Thank you very much Imran for not coming to India…Good Decision…
Welldone Imran Khan!
I am willing to bet that all the people in this comment section speaking against Rushdie's book have never even read a page of it…at all!!! Thats the level of ignorance in Pakistan nowadays…
We are very proud of you for no attending the conference with Rushdie.!!!!!!!
Had Imran participated in the Indian conference, he would have helped portray a tolerent image of Pakistanis. Unfortunately, he seems to be caterting to the right wing, and that's why, despite being an admirer of his bowling, I refused to attend his speech in New York…
I am a liberal American Muslim, even if SALAM RUSH TO DIE, have written any thing against the Bible I would have considered that inappropriate, he has hurt the feelings of so many Muslims I think there are trouble makers in India who have invited him, as they know that India and Pakistan are heading towards friendship. Imran Khan did a very timely thing of refusing to go there. Imtiaz Faruqui USA
Let me begin by saying that I'm not siding with any other political party, nor I'm validating the views of liberals or conservatives in Pakistan, and I most certainly am not endorsing Salman Rushdie.
That being said, I always saw Imran Khan as a leader and not as a politician. However, this move was a political one to maintain his popularity amongst the Islamic parties. I would understand his prerogative if the conference was honouring Salam Rushdie, but as per the article, Salman Rushdie is only attending the conference as a speaker, and Imran Khan was suppose to be the key note speaker talking about his experiences as an international cricketer and on lessons for leaders from sport. Abandoning his plans to participate in the event will only attract negative publicity, and raised eyebrows in the international arena.
Now, many blind advocates of Imran Khan will try to justify their stance by condemning Salman Rushdie’s work, and propel Imran Khan as a hardline leader for taking a stand against the enemies of Islam. In the short-run, this might make him popular, but in the long-run it will discredit his image internationally. Imran Khan needs to be stronger and smarter than an average politician, and be a leader we as Pakistanis want, and not a typical politician concerned with his popularity amongst the masses.
He is the future for Pakistan, in power or not. His contributions are pervasively influential across Pakistan and abroad. I support his overall political agenda, but I disagree with him on this matter.
Imran, good decision to prove your credentials to Pakistanis who need their leaders to demonstrate everyday that they are 'Muslims'.
Indians will not miss you though. We love you, respect you as a cricketer but disagree with your eagerness to cater to Pakistani masses' psychological needs.
So far I thought only Steve Waugh was good at mind games!
Cheers
Gautham
I understand this is not my domain,but I read the fiction novel out of curiosity and I failed to understand what it in it that Muslims are so up set about it?especially in the subcontinent.Can any one educate me?
Very disappointed with Imran Khan. If this is the sort of politicians and national leaders Pakistan can breed, I feel sorry for your nation. Clearly Khan is an opportunist and hypocrite who embraced western ideals whenever it suited him. Now that he is nicknamed 'Taliban Khan' he seems to be living up to his image. More disappointing are the views of educated Pakistanis who leave no hope for a neutral, unbiased society anywhere in future. No open mind, no tolerance for worldly views, where can this pied piper lead Pakistan to?
i bet none of the above posters have read anything by Rushdie yet they despise him so much. Why? They don't know, they just jump on the hate-bandwagon if someone states/writes things contrary to their beliefs. What petty fools.
Imran Khan did not go because Salman Rushdie is secular, liberal etc. His reason is clear; SR book created so much misunderstanding and hurt the feelings of one large community that numbers in billions. Secularism does not advocate to interfere with someone's belief that is what his book did. Secularism simply means non-intervention and not supporting any particular religious group while conducting the affairs of the state. So in my opinion, what IK did was the right thing to do.
"Secularism does not advocate to interfere with someone’s belief." Well said indeed. It is only bigotted religions like yours that do so!
Agree with Imran in total.
Well done imran khan.I am surprised at whosoever wrote this report.This isn't a liberal vs mullah debate.It's about what is right.
IT was a smart and safe decision on Imran's part. It shows he is learning the art of politics. One should understand the pulse of the situation and in our country the conservatives outnumber the so called liberals by a landslide. Also in most democratic nations there are leftist and rightist. He is a left centrist
How many of you have read the Satanic Verses? If you haven't read it, how can you condemn it?
Imran is a true politician, pandering to the emotions to gain votes.