Jahangir Tareen's comeback

Jahangir Tareen is virtually back from the dead and has again resurrected a political party on his own. Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) has only one decisive edge and that is Jahangir Tareen.

The outstanding trait of Jahangir Tareen’s personal makeup is the he is not only extremely flexible but also very patient and has consistently showed the ability to bounce back from wilderness.

He was judicially debarred from taking part in public affairs but Jahangir Tareen is such a dynamo that could not be held back by any restriction.

He never feared the odds against him and cobbled a political fortune yet again from the ashes of the PTI that he had earlier forged into a political oddity that somehow came into power. He is a one-man political machine that keeps on churning positive results for whatever side he is on and is largely responsible for taking his manufactured unit to unprecedented success.

Jahangir Tareen is wealthy beyond measure and does not hesitate to use his wealth for advancing the cause of his loyalists. When he was with Imran Khan he made him extremely mobile by providing an aeroplane ride for him that made him traverse the country with ease and facility.

He employed his wealth where it was needed and never hesitated to do so. It was certainly not an easy gamble as political fortunes in Pakistan are dependent upon myriad factors and some of them are beyond reach but Tareen’s tremendous self-confidence ultimately emerged victorious.

A lanky good-looking fellow with traditional Central Asian hooked nose and chiseled features, Jahangir Tareen always appeared to exercise tremendous self-control. He also controlled things around him with tremendous authority and never gave an impression of frustration or failure. He always approached every piece of his political agenda with tremendous belief and presented it as a winning device.

Jahangir Tareen is a realist and does not hesitate to adjust to changing circumstances. During his career he was severely criticised and roundly abused for being an opportunist but he did not waver from his course of action. He did not care about the extent of hard work involved in winning the support of elected representatives and was always seen on TV screens well-composed and brimming with confidence.

His behind-the-scenes activity would never be catalogued as he is very circumspect about his maneuvers, an essential quality for a successful politician. His actions were widely reviled without realising that he followed the traditional path paved by political process in Pakistan. Pakistan has mushroomed into countless power centres and it is no more possible to obtain a clear-cut mandate for a political force single-handedly. Shrewd politicians like Jahangir Tareen profoundly understand the underlying factors of politics and work accordingly.

Tareen is conscious that it is actual power and not its semblance that is required to devise and implement future policies. His experience during Musharraf regime convinced him that a party should go after real power and to do it requires entering into alliances with other power cabals. He concentrated upon achieving the support of electables in South Punjab who carry a good deal of clout to win their electoral contests. It is the acceptance of ground realities that distinguishes Tareen from rest of the political factions combined together and he stands out amongst them for his intense realism and intense grasp of reality of power.

He has also successfully faced off the stiff competition from many and has warded them off with sharp political strategy. During the last many months his robust actions have won him many supporters who slowly appreciated the course of action devised by Tareen and fell in line. His pragmatism has made him to survive the vicissitudes of politics in Pakistan and he has successfully negotiated all of them. Tareen’s political sagacity has neutralised the grip of his erstwhile party and has been successful in netting many of them in his new party.

All that has been accomplished by Jahangir Tareen is exceptional keeping in view that he was declared ineligible for public life for life and for any average politician that would have been the end of the road but not for Tareen. He was steadfast to prove his worth in public life and never wavered from his goals. In this respect he has shown that he is much more dependable than many leaders particularly who follow the populist lines of action that fail to be successful.

Jahangir Tareen has once again made it possible for him to bounce back to the political frontline and may well become an extremely credible player on the scene. At the moment he wields an informal influence on the political party he has so painstakingly cobbled but it may not be ruled out that the disqualification verdict against him is reversed and he is allowed to operate as a genuine replacement for the populist leadership he worked hard to bring to power. It is expected that he will operate on his own this time and will not be the perpetual man-behind-the-scenes.

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