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& #39;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& #39;t ignore how IK& #39;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& #39;re already supporting change & good govt., despite its failures in implementation.

It& #39;s obviously a middle-class thing that is well-recorded in the works of contemporary scholars. It& #39;s their version of righteous fury. Their idea of justice which leads to this focus on "corruption" (which isn& #39;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.