The Parallel Story of My Alternate Worlds
Islamic Republic of Pakistan – The Land of the Pure / United States of America – The Land of Opportunity
Commentary by Maimoona Harrington | FāVS News
When I migrated to America 15 years ago it was a different country to what it is today, and the same goes for my native country, Pakistan. I am now a U.S. citizen. However, I maintain a strong interest and concern in both countries’ social, political, educational and economic conditions.
Pakistan has faced many economic and political challenges for decades. However, with the ousting of its ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan on April 10, 2022, things have become extremely unstable in the country.
According to a commentary on Brookings, Pakistan is facing five major issues in 2023. It lists political instability, polarization, an election year, a precarious economic situation, flood recovery, mounting insecurity and civil-military relations.
According to Pew Research Center’s recent survey, America’s top national problems “range from economic concerns, such as inflation, affordability of healthcare and the budget deficit, to drug addiction, gun violence and violent crime.
Majorities also view the ability of Democrats and Republicans to work together (62%) and the state of moral values (54%) as very big national problems.”
Ex-President Donald Trump and ex-Prime Minister Khan belong to alternate worlds in same universe. Their lives are parallel to each other, and both are facing similar fates in their political sagas.
But these political sagas are not limited to them only. They are also impacting their respective countries and their people. It seems that both former leaders have been played by others with the same script on the political stage. Both face severe opposition as both demanded extreme changes in ways politics is presently conducted.
Many native Pakistanis and Pakistani Americans might not agree with my comparison and say that Khan is no match with Trump no matter how parallel their lives might seem. The majority of Pakistani Americans love, respect and strongly support Khan but do not support Trump here in America.
Still, through both of these ex-leaders, I see many similarities developing in the countries. And this worries me.
Trump’s and Khan’s political ideologies are described as being populist and nationalist. Khan is even called the Trump of Pakistan by some. Both are in their 70s with very different personalities, belong to very different backgrounds and two very different countries.
Both have been married three times. One is a former famous sportsman cricketer turned politician, and one is a famous business tycoon turned politician.
One of the unique features is that both have no prior military or political service. Both are charged with felonies, both are considered most influential of their time, and for the most part both used social media platforms — mainly Twitter, now known as X — to influence and update their supporters. Both have strong followings and voters’ support.
A ban was imposed by current Pakistani government’s media regulator on Khan.
“Broadcast journalists in Pakistan have decried a de facto ban on mentioning Imran Khan by name or showing his image after a series of directives issued by the country’s media regulator,” writes Shah Meer Baloch in a June 13 article in The Guardian.
And Trump was also banned by tech giants on social media platforms and allowed back in 2023. BBC
But these bans did not impact their popularity and support.
And not only this but both are being held responsible for creating civil unrest in their respective countries in terms of what happened on January 6 Capitol riots in America and on May 9 mass protests in Pakistan after the first arrest of Khan.
Although the supporters of both ex-leaders are accused of being responsible for creating unrest and chaos, both Khan and Trump have claimed the unrest was a planned conspiracy by opposition parties and various military and security agencies to ruin their reputations and political motives. They say, their supporters protested peacefully. Supporters of both sides were arrested and now either they are detained, serving jail time or facing charges against them in courts.
Khan is facing 120 cases against him on several various charges. A recent court conviction bans Khan from politics for five years with three-year jail sentence over corruption allegations that are denied by Khan as he says that he has not been given due process. His supporters think this is done to stop him from participating in the upcoming elections.
Meanwhile, Trump was indicted in four cases and faces 78 felonies. His supporters also think this is done to stop him from participating in upcoming elections.
The notable difference here is that America holds the title of “world superpower” and is a developed and democratic country. At the same time, Pakistan is an underdeveloped, part-military, part-democratically ruled country. To be honest all the democratic governments that have ruled Pakistan have been corrupt. How can a “world superpower” like America be heading in the same direction of a developing country like Pakistan?
The similarities between Khan and Trump can be a mere coincidence, but the outcome of their political participation in their respective countries is quite similar in many ways. Unfortunately, the impact of what is happening with these two is not limited to them anymore.
They have major differences with their respective opposition parties’ ideologies. These conflicts and differences are dividing people and disrupting lives of people like me who want law and order, harmony, the ability to work with dignity and to have a safe and stable society for myself and my family.
When are we going to look beyond our individual preferences and interests and look to what’s best for our countries? Because only when our countries are stable, can we live our lives with better economic and ethical values.
The way to prosper is to ignore matters that divide one from others and cultivate areas of mutual concern.
Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
Coming from a developing country, I appreciate the availability of simple necessities of everyday life in America like clean water, electricity, public schools, libraries and much more. The majority of Americans take this for granted, while these simple necessities are considered a privilege in the developing countries.
Americans’ taxes are used to provide them these basic facilities. This is different than in Pakistan, where the working class pays taxes but receives nothing in return. Only the privileged and elite class can afford them.
Here in America, a driver’s child can attend same college or university with a son of a privileged class or can become a doctor or engineer if he or she wants to. Americans have all these opportunities and possibilities, but I feel most of them lack gratitude.
The U.S. Constitution protects its citizens’ freedom of speech, freedom of the press and assembly, as well as the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
So, why are we adamant to give up these freedoms and why do we want to bring chaos and lawlessness, as Americans? It’s beyond my understanding.
I did not anticipate this when I came here, and I wonder if the migrants trying to come to America know this. They think they are leaving chaos, poverty, inequality and lawlessness to live here yet it might be a false dream. Just like the corrupt Pakistani politicians and political parties, America’s major political parties are also only focused on achieving their personal agendas and interests, why the very livelihood of people like me are at the brink of loss!
It’s time that both American and Pakistani political parties set their personal interests, agendas and rivalry to one side and think about the cumulative betterment and stability of their countries and their people. We are in dire need of equality, justice, harmony, peace, financial stability and safer societies.
On a personal level it does not matter to me who is in power in Pakistan or America. What matters to me most is who will put their country first.
It doesn’t matter whether or not we support Trump or Khan right now. Even the present leaders of both countries have not been able to resolve the social, educational, economic and political challenges faced by both countries.
The game of blaming previous governments on the current conditions of both countries does not hold any weight for me anymore. Neither does the favoritism approach by citizens brings any change. The constant political contest between major political parties needs to end in order to bring unity, prosperity and stability. Not only that, the countries’ judicial system needs to stay neutral.
Below is a video made by my younger son, Usman Haroon: “The Parallel Lives of Imran Khan and Donald Trump.. He makes videos in his free time as hobby. This is not a political, opinion-based video but just compares the lives of Imran Khan and Donald Trump with a twist of humor.
