Imran Khan praises India, spring far behind?

It's not everyday that we get to hear Imran Khan of Rawalpindi fame say nice things about India in general, and the Indian government in particular. So, when at a public rally in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the homeboy praised 'Hindustan' for 'always having an independent foreign policy' and 'continuing to maintain that neutrality in an increasingly bipolar, schizophrenic world', it can be a bit disorienting. In the past, Khan had lauded the cricketing prowess of players lying on this side of the Radcliffe Line. But this being a different pitch, where sledging and bouncers against India are not only allowed but proactively expected, the PM's praise can seem like a compliment in disguise.

But we reckon Khan has method acted his way so deep into his anti-western, anti-US position - which may have its roots in his attempts to extricate himself from his past personal and, indeed, amorous ties with the western world - that the leader of 'America's client state' has forgotten that the US may be listening in. He may, in his pirouette of praise, be pivoting towards a different sort of clienthood: of China's. In this complicated hall of diplomatic niceties and badities, Khan may have swung a reverse swing too much by dissing the US via praising India, which unhelpfully isn't China's buddy. But thinking all that through can hurt his head.