INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Imran Khan: From political pariah to a potential PM, Rikhi remembers it allImran Khan has come a long way since
hometown, where Khan's helicopter landed in late 1996 after throwing pamphlets heralding the formation of his political party.As the
helicopter hovered over the village to find a suitable place to land in the fields, women climbed on the rooftops of their mud houses and
students ran towards the chopper to catch a glimpse of the visitor."We were taken aback for a moment when we saw Imran Khan among the
visitors," said Shakeel Ahmed, a 36 years old man, one of the students, who now works at Karachi Truck Stand at Maripur in Karachi."As we
We were always proud of him because he belonged to Mianwali".Muhammad Aarfeen, 45, thinks Imran Khan's maiden visit to this village is
imprinted on the memory of everyone who saw him on that day
He commands respect, you just can't ignore him"After giving autographs, Khan then headed to a nearby fueling station located on the main
highway leading to Rawalpindi
relationship with Tariq Mehmood that is rarely seen between a worker and a party supremo.Since then, whenever PTI chairman ran an errand to
Mianwali, Tariq's fueling station has remained his first stop.Tariq would arrange food if he was informed beforehand about Khan's visit
"But if he dropped by without any prior intimation, Khan would ask me to arrange whatever was available at the nearby hotel frequented by
truckers"."He would even savor daal which we ordered from the hotel
We were immensely impressed with his simplicity and conviction with which he spoke of the change he desired to bring in the country," Tariq
as a man who never forgets his friends and values loyalty.PTI witnessed a turnaround in its fortunes in 2012 and it became the second
largest party after the 2013 general elections.As hundreds of so-called electable jumped on to the PTI bandwagon and political heavyweights
became a part of the party, Khan introduced Tariq to Shah Mehmood Qureshi and other bigwigs as a loyal party worker who had stood by him
and means, was something that further strengthened the love for Imran Khan in the hearts of his supporters in his hometown.Tariq is
confident that Imran Khan would bring about change in Pakistan which his party has promised.Unlike his detractors who ridicule him by
calling him U-turn Khan, for Tariq, he is a man of honor who keeps his words.When the PTI submitted nomination papers of Imran Khan for
candidacy.People in Mianwali have been congratulating Tariq for being the proposer of the man who could be the next Prime Minister of the
Islamic Republic of Pakistan
