Waiting for Trump

There are reasons why the world is waiting, anxiously, for the outcome of the presidential election in the United States. But the tight race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump is casting a curious shadow on Pakistan’s politics. And at the heart of this enigma is an uncanny similarity between Imran Khan and Donald Trump.

It is amusing to see Imran’s followers in the PTI rooting for Trump. They seem convinced that if the former president is elected on November 5 (Tuesday), he will ensure that his friend is released from prison and this may even lead to Imran’s return to power.

The idea, of course, is that America has the power to influence the state of affairs in relatively underdeveloped countries. So, with Trump at its helm, America would come to Imran’s rescue. Obviously, this would be an interference in Pakistan’s internal affairs that the PTI would heartily applaud.

Ah, the irony here is that the PTI had blamed America for conspiring to remove Imran Khan from power in 2022. What a vociferous campaign it was, built around the alleged presence of a cypher that certified the US pressure to institute a no-confidence motion against Imran Khan.

While PTI supporters who reside in Pakistan cannot vote for Trump, the ones who are in the US are openly for Trump. Since the Pakistani diaspora there is believed to be overwhelmingly in favour of Imran, there is a method to how this project is being handled.

The Pakistani-American Public Affairs Committee has formally endorsed Donald Trump as the presidential candidate, citing an alleged “legislative coup” by the Pakistan government under the Biden administration. That is how PM Imran Khan was ousted from office through a no-confidence motion.

In the American political system, a Public Affairs Committee pools campaign contributions from its members to support candidates in an election and interact with members of Congress. In its statement, the PAK PAC said that it was “proud to endorse former president Donald Trump”.

Anyhow, a large number of Americans of Pakistani origin are voting for the Republican Party candidate not because of what he means to the future of America and its politics – and also not because of his animosity towards immigrants and Islam – but because of his supposed sympathy for Imran and the PTI.

It is hard to see what basis there is for this expectation, though senior PTI leaders of the stature of Lateef Khosa have embraced it with a sense of excitement.

Imran Khan and Donald Trump are certainly very similar, as I have mentioned at the outset. This was noted, famously, by comedian Trevor Noah who had hosted The Daily Show on American television. It was in August 2018 when the PTI had won the elections and Imran was set to become the prime minister that Noah said that Trump and Imran are basically twins.

Since I have dealt with Noah’s detailed comparison before in this space, let me not go over it again. The two leaders have gone through some parallel experiences.

For instance, refusing to accept the results of the 2020 presidential election, Trump had exhorted his support to protest and this had led to the violent attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. This was unprecedented in American history and many Trump supporters have since been prosecuted and sentenced for long prison terms.

Wasn’t this very much like the events of May 9. 2023 when supporters of the PTI staged a violent protest and allegedly attacked a number of military installations? Another similarity would be the assassination attempts in which both leaders escaped any serious injury.

Besides, in keeping with Noah’s observations, both Imran and Trump did not particularly excel in their performance when they were in power. (Noah had pointed out that before coming to power, both had absolutely no previous experience in governance). One would remember that when Imran visited the US as prime minister in July 2019, he hit it off with Trump. In contrast, Biden didn’t call him after becoming president.

Now, I have strayed far from what the political scene is like in the United States. It would not be possible to delve into the complexities of the American political system. The focus is entirely on the contest between the two presidential candidates without much concern for the electoral college and how just a few ‘swing’ states can turn the table.

We have been talking about leaders who are similar but Kamala Harris and Donald Trump belong to separate worlds. At one level, it is a battle of the sexes. Significantly, this election in the most powerful country in the world is being held in very critical times. Issues that relate to Israel and Palestine and the war in Gaza have also some role to play.

Like in Pakistan and some other countries, polarisation in America has become very toxic. It is hard to imagine how this divide can be bridged. Which raises a question about the validity of what democracy is all about. Americans are deeply sceptical about the health of their democracy.

The polls show a dead heat. Emotions are running high. Trump has escalated his violent rhetoric. In a poll, a majority of voters in the ‘swing’ states said they fear violence if Trump loses the election. There is growing concern that he will not accept his defeat.

We have only three days to wait for the results of the American election. History will be made if Kamala Harris becomes the first woman to be elected president of the United States. Hillary Clinton almost made it in 2016 when Trump won and shocked so many in America and abroad.

Can he do this again? If he can, this would be a greater shock for liberals in America and the world at large. But it would be good news for the PTI.

The writer is a senior journalist. He can be reached at: ghazi_salahuddin@hotmail.com