I have rephrased the famous cliche after following the bizarre politics of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf chief Imran Khan. Much has been written on how Imran Khan the politician can never come out of the shadow of his own hallowed past. In the last two weeks I have come to the conclusion that this past-life trauma that he suffers is to a great extent Imran Khan's own making.The problem with Imran Khan and his brand of politics is that he reduces democracy to a road-show. In Imran Khan's vision of governance, populism replaces policy and rhetoric substitutes for the fine art of statecraft.

In the last few months ,every time he has come out in public, the news is never about what he did or tried to do, the news is always himself. In the news reports he remains a charismatic fighter, much like his cricketing avatar who led his team to a world cup victory in 1992. The news then was about Imran Khan and his boys , the news still is about him. A Pakistani news editor once famously asked, 'Will the real Imran Khan Please Stand Up'. My guess is that the real Imran Khan is still to be found in the dressing room.

Unpopular and unsafe

A free society is one where it is safe to be unpopular. One can find many politically-correct definitions what it means to live in a free society but this quote from a politician in the post-war America impresses because of its candour. It demands a free society to treat both popular and unpopular ideas with an even hand . And this is where we fail when we let Taslima Nasreen to be hounded in our country.

Certainly Taslima Nasreen is unpopular, not just among those who have never read a single page of her many books but even among those who have read her writings,. Her critics say that she writes only to titillate, that had she not written about Islam, nobody would have noticed her. Perhaps these arguments are true, but can this become a reason to threaten her security in India or any other society that claims to be free. In Pakistan there are many ask probingly on the declining 'tolerance levels' in the Indian society. In my view, as an emerging global power, India needs to lead with example . Let India be the country where it is safe to be unpopular.

Jokes Apart

Talking of writers, Khushwant Singh is the most popular writer in the sub-continent. Thats not a joke, its a fact. If you have any doubt, ask anyone in Paksitan about which writer have they read from India. You will be surprised how many of them will tell you its Khushwant Singh.

Apart from his terrifying first novel, Train to Pakistan , almost all his novels are avilable here at unreasonably low prices.To be fair to other writers, there is another reason why he trumps the list. Khushwant Singh has a secret weapon up his sleeve that others don't have.You guessed it right, its the dirty joke.