Imran Khan - A Dream Almost Shattered!

There are a few figures and personalities in life that we take for granted and expect them never to go away. Almost exactly a year ago (17th May, 2012), a dear family friend and a passionate Pakistani Air Force fighter pilot was taken away from us; Squadron Leader Zaigham Shaheed. May Allah bless his soul. We never expect the worst to happen to our loved ones therefore the shock we're greeted with every time tragedy strikes close to home. Imran Khan has been one of those ever-present and 'immortal' personalities, and a role model to not only millions of Pakistanis but his competitors and followers overseas alike.  

Last night was possibly one of the most stressful for me in recent memory. It was around AEST 1.30 am that I woke up for my nightly (annoying) loo visit which follows, almost every time, by the subsequent checking of any latest news out of Pakistan; I was greeted by 4 missed call notifications from Maulvi. My first reaction was to get on to Dawn's website and check for what had happened as none of my friends ever call that late. The worst possible news for any Pakistani first and PTI supporter after, hit me like a wall; something nasty and bad had happened to Imran Khan. 

I spent the next three hours in a state of panic and praying that Khan is safe and sound. And then the 'exclusive' interview spread like wildfire on Facebook. I swear that a public speech made by a politician has never had the sort of an impact and hit me as hard as Khan's voice and message did. More than the content of the message, it was the sheer determination and unrelenting love for Pakistan and its citizens that made me break down into tears. Last night, I witnessed a very different Imran Khan, one that the Pakistani nation could never ever perceive possible. Khan's voice was filled with pain, some regret for getting injured just three days prior to the elections, and most of all desperation to somehow get the word out to the Pakistanis to do the right thing come May 11. I never expected to be hit by the storm of emotions that followed, for a guy whom I didn't know on a personal level and was just a crazy fan of. I remember how much it hurt when my dad fell while running and injured his knee, to see him limp and in pain made me cry. The immediate concern for Imran Khan and the feeling of uneasiness since is ditto to what I would feel for a loved one. 

This would have been Imran Khan's 78th Rally in the last 18 days, a feat which has never been matched by any other leader in Pakistan. The kind of an athlete that Imran Khan was and the way it has trained him, not only physically, but also mentally played a massive role in him agreeing to such a punishing and taxing schedule of rallies. From all his pep-talks and speeches, one deduction that can be made is that no matter what the consequences, Khan does not believe in shying away in face of adversity and challenges which would break almost everyone else down. He believes in giving his best and as he's always claimed that bigger the challenge, the harder he used to, and apparently still does, fight; the affirmation of which is in Khan's interview from SKMCH. I really hope Imran Khan recovers fully and is hopping about like a 30 year old in no time. If there's anyone who has the will to fight something like this, there's no one better than him.

Always keep smiling like this! My Captain, My Leader!

Following these events, my belief in Imran Khan's mission has increased tenfold. We've all been through injuries or stressful situations at one point or the other in our lives, and are all aware of the kind of moods that come upon us. Considering Imran Khan's age (60 years) and the trauma he's gone through last night; it was unbelievable to see him still concerned for only Pakistan and its people. Following are a few last night's tweets of Asad Umar:

Asad Umar ‏@Asad_Umar7h

Literally having faced death all he had on his mind when talking to me in the hospital was pakistan

Asad Umar ‏@Asad_Umar7h

My love & respect for this great champion of pakistan has increased many folds.

Asad Umar ‏@Asad_Umar7h

What an incredible privilege to work with this amazing man in his quest to build a country this nation dreams of.

Last night I actually realized how much Imran Khan actually meant to me. As the case is with the deaths of loved ones, losing him to a freak accident was something I was just not willing to accept. I had absolutely no answer to the stupid if conditions that kept popping up in my head. Alhamdulilah, Allah has been kind enough to spare Imran Khan to us, and we should take heed from this event. Before the vision and dream  of Quaid-e-Azam could come to fruition, we lost him on September 11th, 1948; May 7th, 2013 could have been another such event marking a day when millions of dreams would've been shattered plunging Pakistan into an abyss with no worthy Commander capable of taking the reins to our salvation.

May Allah grant Imran Khan complete recovery. May Allah help Imran Khan in his mission and fulfilling his dream of giving us Quaid's Pakistan. May Allah grant Pakistan security and rid her of these blood-sucking politicians. 

Girte hain shehsawar hi medan-e-jung meh, 

Wo tifl kya gerah jo ghutno ke bal chale