Opinion by Imran Malik | MediaBites.com.pk
Politics in Pakistan is rarely about ideology. It is almost always about ambition, access, and the moment when a promise made is a promise broken.
Aleem Khan’s story is one of Pakistan’s most instructive political journeys of the last two decades, and it is far from over.
The Man Behind PTI’s Machinery
Before we discuss where Aleem Khan is going, we must honestly acknowledge where he came from and what he built.
In PTI’s most consequential years, three names quietly powered the party’s operational engine: Aleem Khan, Aoun Chaudhry, and Shoaib Siddiqui. While Imran Khan provided the vision and the crowd pull, these three provided the administrative muscle, the financial backbone, and the logistical genius that turned rallies into movements.
Shoaib Siddiqui was, by any honest account, Pakistan’s finest jalsa architect. Whether it was Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore or a mass gathering in Karachi, Siddiqui’s operational expertise made the impossible look effortless. PTI’s election campaigns ran on his organizational capability as much as on Imran Khan’s charisma. Without these men behind the curtain, PTI’s theatrical triumphs simply do not happen.
The CM Dream That Never Was
Aleem Khan’s political investment in PTI was not merely ideological. He genuinely believed in the party and in Khan. But like many serious political investors, he expected a return commensurate with his contribution.
That return was the Chief Ministership of Punjab. Pakistan’s largest province. Fourteen crore people. The most powerful administrative position below the Prime Minister.
He was the obvious choice. He had the administrative capability, the political relationships, and the financial literacy to run Punjab effectively. Many in PTI privately agreed.
Instead, Khan’s gaze fell on Usman Buzdar — a decision that was, by virtually every honest assessment, one of the most consequential and damaging choices of his entire tenure. Punjab under Buzdar became a byword for administrative paralysis. An able man was passed over. An entire province paid the price.
Whispers reached Khan about Aleem’s NAB cases, conveniently amplified by jealous voices, including, it must be said, certain media figures who found competitive advantage in undermining a rival. Those NAB cases were subsequently cleared. The Park View approvals issue, raised during the PTI government itself, was also resolved. But the damage was done, and the moment had passed.
Aleem Khan eventually served as Senior Minister with the Local Government portfolio. He performed credibly. But the Chief Minister’s chair, which he had worked toward for years, remained permanently out of reach — not because of incapacity but because of stubbornness at the top and poison in the ear.
IPP — From Tonga Party to Third Force
When the break came, observers were dismissive. Istehkam Pakistan Party (IPP) was written off as a tonga party — a few passengers, no destination. Political commentators gave it months before irrelevance.
They were wrong.
TIP has demonstrated genuine staying power. In the Gilgit-Baltistan elections, the party ran a credible campaign and, through the participation of independent candidates aligned with it, emerged as GB’s third largest political force. It did not win a majority. But it showed up, competed, and registered. For a party dismissed as a vanity project, that is a significant result.
Azad Kashmir — Opportunity and a Questionable Decision
Azad Kashmir elections are approaching and Aleem Khan has announced IPP’s full participation with characteristic energy and commitment.
The strategic opportunity is real. IPP has momentum from GB. Aleem Khan has name recognition, resources, and a network of relationships across Pakistan’s political geography. A well-run AJK campaign could consolidate IPP’s position as a credible third political force.
But one recent decision deserves honest scrutiny. The induction of Sardar Ilyas Tanveer into IPP raises legitimate questions. Tanveer has been rejected by PPP. He briefly served as Azad Kashmir’s Prime Minister under PTI’s umbrella but failed to deliver meaningfully during that tenure. Bringing in a figure associated with underperformance and rejected by one major party does not, by itself, strengthen IPP’s credibility.
The logic presumably is vote addition. But some additions subtract more than they add.
A Better Strategy for Aleem Khan
Here is an honest suggestion. Rather than spreading IPP’s energy across every available electoral battleground, Aleem Khan should consider a focused, high-yield strategy targeting Mohajir seats in Pakistan’s national constituency.
Pakistan’s Mohajir community represents a politically underserved and electorally significant demographic that has oscillated between MQM, PTI, and various independent options without finding a stable political home aligned with their interests and aspirations. IPP, with the right candidates, a genuine community-focused platform, and Aleem Khan’s personal credibility, could fill that space meaningfully.
Select quality candidates over quantity. Run tight, well-resourced campaigns. Deliver a credible vote total in targeted constituencies. That is how small parties build into serious ones. The Tonga accusation dies when the results arrive.
Final Thought
Aleem Khan is a capable, experienced, and politically underestimated figure. His separation from PTI was painful but arguably inevitable given the dynamics at play. IPP’s survival and GB performance have validated his decision to build independently.
The road ahead requires strategic discipline, better candidate selection, and the courage to prioritize quality over optics. If he applies the same organizational talent to TIP that he applied to PTI, Pakistan’s political landscape may yet have room for a third serious force.
Whether that force becomes a Tonga or a train depends entirely on the decisions made in the next few months.
— Imran Malik | Opinion | MediaBites.com.pk | Southera.com
