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You ever think about how an entire generation of young people was shut out of politics & power in UK/USA by the older folks & an establishment that preferred the status quo but in Pakistan, they instead co-opted that youth with a false idea of change that amounted to nothing?
You may like it or not but for a significant no. of middle-class youth, IK was their political awakening & in their own way, they actually did think that they were participants in a revolutionary process against dynastic, old-school politicians & that this would change Pakistan.
I've seen way too many thinkers or "intellectuals" dismiss the enduring popularity of IK as some sort of Estb. hoodwink. But the fact is that there is a whole cultural & political context in which he arose & gained popularity & there are certain reasons why he remains appealing.
You can't ignore how IK's rhetoric of change (which despite its ugly reality still appeals to the middle-class) effectively dampens the appeal of actual progressive movements because ppl think they're already supporting change & good govt., despite its failures in implementation.
It's obviously a middle-class thing that is well-recorded in the works of contemporary scholars. It's their version of righteous fury. Their idea of justice which leads to this focus on "corruption" (which isn't bad but is targeted at individual politicians & not structures).
It also often overlaps or provides cover for populism & religious feelings (like in India). But my point is that ppl supporting IK essentially do believe that they are following an honest man who is trying to bring a change. They do think they are on the right side of history.
