Imran Khan is the present — and future

Pakistanis all around the world are celebrating Imran Khan as the New Prime Minister-elect of Pakistan. His party, Tehreeke-Insaf (PTI), claimed victory on July 28 in the 2018 elections. When a country that has been ruled by the military for the longest time is presented with the idea of choosing their leader, there are expected consequences. These elections haven’t been easy on the people of Pakistan. We’re all witness to the mess caused by the different candidates and their campaigns. The country was already angered by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s corruption and scandals, which resulted in him being sent to jail for 10 years.

When former cricketer Imran Khan campaigned to fight fraud, he had the upper hand. Meanwhile, when the opposing party Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) that was led by Nawaz Sharif’s brother, Shehbaz Sharif, tried to present their vision, it seemed invalid.

The other prominent party led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) who were also trying to climb up the political ladder. The freedom felt by a citizen when it’s time to vote is joyous, but the situation in Pakistan had turned this joy into fear. It was clear to me that Imran had swept the nation off its feet with his oratory skills. I genuinely believe that Khan’s adamant and maverick vision could lead Pakistan into prosperity, and release the real potential of this beautiful country. Amongst all his promises, we hope he can reform the education and tax systems, as well as build deeper bonds with other nations.

■ The reader is a student of journalism in Dubai.