Like Rahul, Bilawal should start from grassroot: Imran

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who has 'inherited' the chairmanship of Pakistan Peoples Party, should start his political career from the grassroot level, like the Nehru family scion Rahul Gandhi has done in India, cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan has advocated.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who has 8216;inherited8217; the chairmanship of Pakistan Peoples Party, should start his political career from the grassroot level, like the Nehru family scion Rahul Gandhi has done in India, cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan has advocated.

8220;You can inherit a house, jewellery8230; but how can you inherit other people8217;s wishes, dreams? A democratic political party, being inherited 8211; it is mockery of democracy,8221; said in an interview to Sky News.

Khan, however added that if Bilawal 8220;gets educated, and is starting from below 8211; like Rahul Gandhi in India,8221; it would be great.

Criticising President Pervez Musharraf for holding on to power, Khan said he had no 8220;legitimacy8221; in the country8217;s politics as the 8220;new Parliament does not recognise him8221;.

8220;Musharraf has no legitimacy. He was never elected8230; but forced himself on a Parliament which doesn8217;t exist any more.

There is a new Parliament, which doesn8217;t recognise him!8221; Khan said.

The former fast bowler, who was not invited to the Olympic torch ceremony in the federal capital earlier this month despite being the country8217;s best-known sportsman, also said he would have hated to attend the ceremony with President Musharraf.

Story continues below this ad

8220;It doesn8217;t matter if they forgot me. I would have hated to attend the ceremony with President Musharraf,8221; said the chief of Tehrik-e-Insaaf party.

He also said both PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari had been given a great opportunity by the February 18 general election and it remains to be seen how they utilise it.

Khan also spoke of his broken marriage to glamorous British socialite Jemima Khan. The couple were married for almost 10 years before divorcing in 2004.

Jemima had converted to Islam and moved to Pakistan to be with her husband and was also involved in supporting his political work.

Story continues below this ad

8220;It8217;s very difficult to leave your country and go and live somewhere else and especially for her because she is close to her family and her friends and she found it very difficult to actually live away from home,8221; Khan who remains on good terms with his ex-wife said.

Khan however maintained the divorce between the two was 8220;amicable8221; and that they still shared a 8220;very strong bond8221;.

8220;Our divorce was a very amicable divorce. It was because the two of us realised that she could not live in Pakistan, and I could not live outside Pakistan,8221; he said.

8220;Once we realised that, it became impossible to then make the marriage work. And yet we have a very strong bond, we always had it8230; don8217;t forget she is the mother of my two children. Will always be,8221; he added.

Story continues below this ad

Asked whether Jemima8217;s 8220;big fight8221; for him while he was imprisoned during last year8217;s emergency had created a new bonding between them, Khan said, the relationship between the two was always strong.

8220;Our relationship was always strong. Jemima has become more political than before. She had earlier been involved during my campaigns, but this time, she really got political,8221; Khan said.

Strongly advocating restoration of the sacked judges in Pakistan, Khan said the abuse of power in the country couldn8217;t stop unless the justice system was restored.

8220;There is no way my party was going to fight for elections while a military dictator sacked 60 per cent of the judges,8221; said Khan, who was jailed for seven days following the imposition of emergency in November last year.