[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text dp_text_size=”size-4″]WASHINGTON: The renowned Time magazine on Tuesday published a cover story on former prime minister Imran Khan in its latest edition, putting his picture on the title page with the caption: ‘The Astonishing Saga of Imran Khan’.
The article piqued the interest of PTI leaders as well, and former information minister Fawad Chaudhry immediately shared it on Twitter, along with a screenshot of the title page.
🧵@TIME‘s article on @ImranKhanPTI reeks of Eurocentrism.
They’ve written a typical commentary that does not beyond the West’s binary, myopic & fallacious view of the Muslim world.
The content of the article itself is flawed, objectionable & contemptuous. pic.twitter.com/RBt8SihLFl— Maaz | معاذ (@aikazaadinsaan) April 4, 2023
It’s an article, like most in Western magazines, with some praise and some criticism, analysing Pakistan’s current political situation and projecting the future, both for Pakistan and Mr Khan.
The magazine also conducted a Zoom interview with Mr Khan, but rather than a Q&A format, it used quotes from the interview throughout the article, some to highlight his accomplishments and others to back up claims of his failures.
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Some quotes were also used to back up their projections for Pakistan and Mr Khan, both positive and negative.
Mr Khan’s supporters, however, were not pleased with this approach and, as they frequently do with Pakistani publications, vented their rage on the magazine and its author, Charles Campbell.
Time’s commentary “does not (go) beyond the West’s binary, myopic, and fallacious view of the Muslim world,” wrote Maaz Ud Din, a PTI supporter, on Twitter. “This article is a textbook example of pitiful Orientalism.”
🧵@TIME‘s article on @ImranKhanPTI reeks of Eurocentrism.
They’ve written a typical commentary that does not beyond the West’s binary, myopic & fallacious view of the Muslim world.
The content of the article itself is flawed, objectionable & contemptuous. pic.twitter.com/RBt8SihLFl— Maaz | معاذ (@aikazaadinsaan) April 4, 2023
Bia Agha, another PTI supporter, claimed that the article displayed “the orientalist art of obscuring facts and concealing disdain behind the cloak of objectivity.”
PTI opponents were quick to point out Imran Khan’s flaws, which were mentioned in the article. “The article blames (Khan) and only (Khan) for Pakistan’s economic crisis,” one of Khan’s detractors wrote.
Maaz Ud Din’s point-by-point rebuttal of the Time article went viral almost immediately, garnering nearly 50,000 views within hours. Hundreds of PTI supporters retweeted it, and some of those tweets were viewed by thousands.
The article, on the other hand, projected Imran Khan’s position that only elections can end the country’s bitter political divide.
“Elections provide political stability in Pakistan,” he said in the interview. “That is where economic recovery begins.”
However, the article noted that Pakistan is “the world’s fifth most populous country,” with “only $4.6 billion in foreign reserves — $20 per citizen,” indicating that the crisis cannot be solved solely through elections.
“You would say this is a country ripe for a Bolshevik revolution if they default and can’t get oil, companies go bankrupt, and people don’t have jobs,” Cameron Munter, a former US ambassador to Pakistan, told Time.
The article was published just hours before the Supreme Court denied the Election Commission’s request to postpone elections in Punjab and KP. As a result, it sparked heated debate on social media and among US scholars of South Asian affairs.
The discussion centred on three key points: Will the PDM government follow the Supreme Court’s order and hold elections in Punjab on May 14? Will the army be able to persuade the government to carry out the order? And who will the US back?
According to the article, “from the US perspective, he (Mr. Khan) may be far from the ideal choice to lead an impoverished, insurgency-ridden Islamic state.”
The article then pointed out that Mr Khan had incorrectly blamed the United States for the fall of his government. It also emphasised Mr Khan’s support for the Taliban, his efforts to strengthen ties with Russia and China, and his disagreements with the Biden administration.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
