Foreign media terms PTIs rally a 'surprise show'

Cricket legend and opposition politician Imran Khan, according to a foreign news agency, railed against the government and opposition before more than 100,000 flag-waving supporters Sunday, establishing him a force in Pakistani politics.Khan, 58, entered politics 15 years ago when he founded Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or the Movement for Justice Party, but up to now he has struggled to translate his fame into votes. The rally in the eastern city of Lahore indicated his message may have found new resonance at a time when Pakistanis are fed up with the countrys chronic insecurity and economic malaise.I have come here to register my hatred against this corrupt system, said 29-year-old Nadeem Iqbal, who attended the rally.A poll conducted by the U.S.-based Pew Research Center in June found Khan, the captain of Pakistans 1992 world champion cricket team, to be the most popular political figure in the country.Khans rising popularity could be a concern for the U.S., given his harsh criticism of the Pakistani governments cooperation with Washington in the fight against Islamist militants.He has been especially critical of U.S. drone strikes targeting militants in Pakistans rugged tribal region along the Afghan border. The latest suspected strike killed six alleged militants Sunday.Khan has argued that Pakistans alliance with the U.S. is the main reason Pakistan is facing a homegrown Taliban insurgency.Our leaders owned this war on terror for the sake of dollars, Khan told the crowd assembled around the countrys most important national monument, the Minar-e-Pakistan. Let me curse you. You sold out the blood of innocent people.Pakistans state news agency, The Associated Press of Pakistan, estimated the crowd was over 100,000 people.Mosharraf Zaidi, a Pakistani political analyst, said the rally was significant because Khans party has not been able to attract such large crowds in the past.Despite the strong show of support, its still unclear how much Khan can shake up the political scene in the next national elections in 2013. His support is largely confined to urban areas of Punjab, Pakistans largest province, where Lahore is the capital.Pakistans main opposition party, the Pakistan Muslim League-N, has dominated urban areas of Punjab in the recent past. Many analysts, including Zaidi, expect Khans party to siphon votes away from the PML-N. But given Pakistans electoral system, that may simply benefit the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party rather than win seats for Khans party in parliament. Its also unclear exactly what Khan would do if he did win significant political power. He has been relentless in criticizing the government for corruption and for its failure to address the many serious problems facing the country. But he has failed to offer many specifics about how he would fix these problems.We dont see top-shelf policy people, top-shelf professionals becoming part of the policy machine at PTI, said Zaidi. What we see is a lot of rhetoric.