Zaman Park Imran Khan's new political base.

LAHORE -- The plush Zaman Park neighbourhood in Lahore is the new political base of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan these days. The protest march he was leading on November 3 for onward journey to Islamabad, came to an abrupt end after the gun attack on Imran Khan and other party leaders at Wazirabad district of Punjab. Though the long march resumed from the point it ended over a week ago, Khan himself sits in his drawing room with glittery gold red furniture and the art pieces meeting visitors who are mostly the journalists from both the local and foreign media. Visibly, Imran Khan is on a repetition spree with over exposure from the media. He is generously giving interviews to the foreign and local media churning out the same kind of stuff with little alterations. Since his ouster from power, the PTI chief is undergoing a huge sense of political loss and an appalling betrayal of trust as he keeps talking about it over and over again with everyone he meets with. It is all about politicking and backstabbing. His speeches made at the long march rallies are no exception. His leg injuries have only added fuel to the fire. Senior PTI leaders, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Asad Umar, Fawad Ch, Mian Aslam Iqbal, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Omer Sarfraz Cheema, and a few others have been the frequent visitors in the last one week. Of late, Khan also hosted a veteran PPP leader Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, Ch Parvez Elahi and Jamaat-e-Islami Emir Sirajul Haq to share details of the firing incident and his political struggle which he calls 'Haqqiqi Azadi' (Real freedom from slavery). The tales of alleged betrayal by the military establishment, his being merely a figurehead in his four-year stint and NAB not being under his control are the usual topics in his meetings with the media persons and the politicians. 'They (Establishment) could have easily saved my government if they wanted to since they have had a history of wielding political influence over parties'. It is also a mantra in the meetings. At times, he comes up with bizarre contradictions in his conversations. In a recent interview with a leading newspaper, Khan revealed that General...