1996 Nawa-i-Waqt story predicting Imran Khan’s rise as revolutionary leader resurfaces
KARACHI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf workers are circulating a two decades old daily Nawa-i-Waqt’s news item that carried a prediction about prime minister Imran Khan since their leader won accolades for his peace gesture to India that triggered calls for him to be given Nobel Peace Prize.
The prime minister, however, on Monday said in tweet “I am not worthy of the Nobel Peace prize. The person worthy of this would be the one who solves the Kashmir dispute according to the wishes of the Kashmiri people and paves the way for peace & human development in the subcontinent.”
Published in the widely circulated Urdu daily on May 2, 1996,, the year former cricket hero launched the PTI 22 years ago, the news item with Rawalpindi dateline carried the statement of Peer Panjar Shareef who incorrectly predicted that Imran Khan will lead a revolution in the last decade of 20th century.
The peer stated that the 20th century held a special significance for Urdu alphabet “Noon” and since both Imran Khan and Pakistan had the same alphabet at the end of their names, the PTI leader would have a key role in the revolution at the end of the century.
He further said that while leading the country, Imran Khan would make Pakistan his superpower, hoist Islamic flag in New Delhi and would resolve the Kashmir issue.
The peer said all those Islamic countries whose names had the Urdu alphabet at the end of their names would join Pakistan to form a Islamic block that would be led by Imran Khan.
He said preparations were finalized to create a greater Islamic country (bloc) that would include Pakistan, Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Iran, and Kirghizstan.
The mystic said China too would become part of that confederation because it also had Urdu alphabet in its name.
The prediction said an electoral system was in the offing that would have a one party system.
Explaining the reason behind Imran Khan becoming leader of the Islamic bloc, Peer panjar said the former cricketer’s stars would be aligned in the end of last decade of the 19th century.
At the end of the century Pakistan, however, saw Nawaz Sharif eased out of power in a bloodless coupe by General Pervez Musharraf who ruled the country for more than eight years.
It was not before 2011 that Imran Khan made his presence felt on the political horizon. He became the prime minister of Pakistan in 2018 after his party won majority of seats in the parliament.