So, it has come to this. The last effort of any peaceful protest has begun - Hunger Strike. As of the 19th November 2007, Imran Khan has gone on hunger strike, protesting at the Pakistani state of emergency imposed by Pervez Musharraf and the seizure of the judiciary.
Mr. Khan, having successfully completed the transformation from superstar cricketer to politician may now be about to make another transformation, from politician to martyr.
The hunger strike has been a weapon of mixed affect when it has been used in the past, Republican Bobby Sands died on hunger strike in prison in Northen Ireland, but perhaps more aptly, Gandhi went on hunger strike to stop the violence that followed the partition of India and Pakistan. After five days of Gandhi's hunger strike, opposing leaders agreed to end the bloodshed, but only twelve days after Gandhi stopped his hunger strike he was shot dead by a Hindu gunman.
While any comparison between Imran Khan and Gandhi would be at best premature, the power and the historic context of the hunger strike will not be lost upon the Pakistani population. My fear for Khan is that Musharraf will not back down from his position, and that the Pakistani people may need martyr to truly unify their stance and organise their demands for a free and democratic Pakistan.
I am not using the term martyr lightly, but for a figure as popular as Imran Khan to die on hunger strike while calling for the freedom of Pakistan will surely be forever seen as a martyr. Almost 67 years after the death of Gandhi, Musharraf may be about to consign another peaceful protester to an early grave and in the process be the architect of his own downfall.