It is a tale of two Prime Ministers with the leaders of both Pakistan and the UK hitting the headlines this week.
One is a figure of fun, a liar and a law-breaker whose government handed BILLIONS in taxpayers’ money to cronies. The other is Imran Khan.
I grew up listening to how corrupt politicians in my parents’ home country were. It was heartbreaking, seeing how ordinary people suffered, struggling for basics like food and shelter, while the country’s leaders looted the land for their own gain.
Oh, how the tables have turned.
Both Imran and Boris are Oxford-educated, on their third marriages and popular with the ladies (how, Boris?) but this is where the similarities end.
Cricketing-legend-turned-politician Imran Khan showed naivety by backing Russia instead of America, causing him to lose the support of the army, triggering a no-confidence vote despite being overwhelmingly popular with the public. His mistake has cost him dear.
Meanwhile, Boris Johnson, despite blunder after blunder, has only had to pay a £50 fine for attending a birthday party during lockdown.
The sum may not be significant but he also broke a record – the first time in history that a serving PM has been in breach of the law.
In cities across Pakistan, people are holding mass rallies, shedding tears of support for their beloved PM while branding former leaders “chor”, or thieves.
Here we shed tears of frustration at Boris’s refusal to resign. He has always played the clown successfully but surely the joke has run thin now?
However affable, I would much prefer to have a leader who was reliable and capable. We don’t need another comedian to turn the country into a laughing stock.
With Imran at the helm, Pakistan flourished. I visited just before the pandemic hit and the atmosphere in Karachi was so different, open and optimistic. It was the best of times.
Unfortunately, for us in the UK, with soaring costs and a callous, incompetent government, it really feels like the worst of times.
