This is with reference to the article ‘Pakistan’s Donald Trump-II’ (March 19) in which Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy revisited an argument he had first made in 2015: Imran Khan is Pakistan’s Donald Trump. He argues, this time looking back over their years in power, that the analogy is just as apt now as it was in 2015. I disagreed in 2015, and I still disagree now.

I do acknowledge the notable similarities during their years in office. Both came to power through elections their opponents insist were tainted. Both depicted themselves as bold change-makers prepared to radically remake their countries. Both resorted to various forms of populism. They unleashed attacks on their critics and political opponents, espoused conspiracy theories, and they targeted external scapegoats; the West for Khan, China for Trump. All this was meant to fire up their bases.

And yet, their policy priorities at home were deeply divergent. Khan has emphasised anti-corruption, climate change and religion. Trump had little interest in such matters, instead emphasising issues like downsizing the government. Both did give importance to the economy, though Trump’s record was stronger — until his poor handling of the pandemic produced a record contraction. Khan, unlike Trump, respected science and took the pandemic seriously from the start, garnering praise from the likes of Bill Gates.

The Khan-Trump contrast is especially sharp on foreign policy. Trump sought to withdraw from the world, and US alliances and global leadership suffered for it. Khan sought to better engage with the world, and to position Pakistan as a developing country leader on issues like debt relief and countering Islamophobia. In the Khan era, Pakistan deepened its diplomatic partnerships, from Russia to Turkey, and it became a key participant in multilateral diplomacy on Afghanistan.

Furthermore, Trump’s ugly final act — inciting his supporters to storm the US Capitol — was more damaging to democracy than anything Khan initiated while in office.

Crackdowns on media and suppression of dissent, the ‘hybrid system’, the nasty political rhetoric — these are all detrimental to democracy, but they also predate the Khan era. Additionally, even if one believes Khan’s rally today (March 27) is meant to discourage parliamentarians from exercising their democratic right to vote on a no-confidence motion, that is no comparison to imploring your most rabid followers to act on the lie of a rigged election and lay siege to an iconic symbol of democracy.

Imran Khan may come closer than many to being Pakistan’s Donald Trump, but, for me, the analogy still does not hold.

Michael Kugelman
Washington, DC, USA

Published in Dawn, March 27th, 2022