Lessons from Lalu

Pakistan’s new PM must not be offended at being associated with the Bihar leader. There is much he can learn from him.

By: Editorial | Updated: August 21, 2018 9:33:29 am

Khan will find, as Lalu did, that not all tall promises can be kept.

A leader of the Opposition in Pakistan’s National Assembly may have, unwittingly, given some sage advice to the country’s 22nd prime minister even as he sought to criticise him. During his maiden speech in the legislature following his swearing-in on August 18, Imran Khan reportedly lost his composure at the protests by members of the Opposition, prompting Syed Khurshid Shah of the Pakistan People’s Party to say that “Indian politician Lalu Prasad seems to be Khan’s political mentor”. The self-proclaimed champion of “naya Pakistan” must not take offence. While Lalu’s political fortunes may have waned, there is still much that Khan can learn from him.

Khan asked for “God to have mercy on us”, as he lamented the state of “naya Pakistan”. The first lesson from Lalu Prasad, then, must be for Khan the parliamentarian. Lalu once said that a particular political outfit would be chased with clubs (gada), and the punchline was taken in the right spirit. A little wit, a well-timed joke, went much farther than righteous outrage. Lalu’s turn of phrase, Khan must appreciate, can slay opponents in the cynical world of professional politics far better than puffed up indignation. Another lesson in realpolitik for Khan, who has thus far only been an agitationist opposition leader: Already, much of his Cabinet consists of former aides of deposed military dictator Pervez Musharraf, but as Nawaz Sharif can testify, the powers-that-be in Pakistan can withdraw their blessings. So, Khan must learn from Lalu’s skill at holding power, even via a partner as a proxy, when he couldn’t stay in office officially.

Khan has promised — as many a leader with seemingly millennial ambitions tends to — to “bring change that hasn’t been brought to Pakistan for 70 years” and “bring accountability to those who have stolen the nation’s money and stashed it abroad”. Khan will find, as Lalu did, that not all tall promises can be kept. He may have to learn from the Bihar politician how to fill that gap between promise and delivery with bluster and flair.