At least once a day, I am asked,

 

“You support Imran Khan? Seriously?”

 

It is mainly because I do not fit the stereotypical image people have about PTI people. Emotional, young, immature and what we call “trolls”. I like to think I am none of these. Very few in my field of work are open about their political tilts, if any. Maybe because there is a remote chance it may interfere with journalistic objectivity. However, I have been very clear since day one. Anything I report will say the truth and nothing but the truth. Even if it goes against the Khan. Blogs, tweets and social media are based on purely personal opinions, and hence are a different matter.

 

The next remark usually is a grin followed by,

 

“Aah. You are one of Killer Khan’s female fans smitten by him.”

 

While I do not deny admiring Khan as one of the most charismatic men in Pakistan, this is certainly not the reason he got my vote or why I support him. People have to start giving people with differing views more credit.

 

The last week or more has been a trial for Khan’s supporters, me included. His very off-beat brand of politics has had Pakistanis who were never in favour of him smugly say,

 

“See! We always knew it would come to this.”

 

Jokes about his questionable political wisdom (I can already hear readers saying “does he have any?”), the “unusual” jalsas with an aura of festivity, and Khan’s very ad hoc, and at times incoherent and repetitive, speeches have not made it easier for supporters like me. It is not easy explaining why someone has moved from believing in PPP as the party that deserves the vote to PTI. But that debate is for another day.

 

As regards this man, undisputedly a national hero, there are very few who have centrist feelings. People either admire him to an extent that they become rude “trolls” in his defence, or write him off and are so put off by him that they react by laughing at him and at everyone who supports him. It is doubly difficult for his supporters who continue to support the man but question and disagree with certain decisions he has taken. I am one of those many. And openly so. Others from Pakistan’s intelligentsia prefer to stay under cover, because the amount of mockery you get from non-PTI trolls for being a PTI supporter is immense.

 

I disagree with Khan on many grounds. I disagree that he and his ministers resigned. I disagree that he is not budging on his demand of Nawaz Sharif’s resignation. I disagree with the words he sometimes uses, in a spell of euphoria and emotion. And these are just a few points.

 

Yet, I continue to support him and trust him.

 

All the mockery has not made me give up on him and his vision. The reasons are many, but here are the five major reasons why Imran Khan is still the only politician I continue to believe in.

 

1) He is not after the money

 

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is no mean feat. We, as a nation, are unfortunate that we are in a system that is steeped in corruption and bribery. That is a critical and basic problem with what’s wrong with Pakistan. And this attitude of “le de kar kaam chalao” starts from the top and trickles down at every level. A wonderful journalist friend who is very anti-Khan politically, but has worked with him on projects regarding Shaukat Khanum, once said,

 

“I will never vote for Khan. But I would trust him blindly with my money.”

 

For how many politicians in Pakistan can you say that?

 

It is sad that even the brightest of us have so resigned to the fact that the system in Pakistan is corrupt that it has, over time, become a non-issue. For me, integrity is a huge issue. And that is what is unquestionable about this man.

 

2) He is who he is

 

I admit that the man is not perfect, like all humans. He can irk the best of us the wrong way with never-ending cricket analogies that sometimes backfire. But he is who he is. Call it naivety, but how does one trust the “seasoned politicians”? Either you love Imran Khan, or you hate him, because at least you know what he is. As