If Pakistani naming trend is a guide, Imran Khan could be the next PM

Even though the general elections are seven months away, one can predict who the next prime minister will be on the basis of the data of the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra).If popularity is used to predict a potential winner, then Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan is ahead by miles compared with his opponents Nawaz Sharif and Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.All over the world diehard political activists name their children after their favourite political leaders to show their support, and the Nadra data shows that Pakistan is no different.If the naming custom is taken as a way of gauging someone’s popularity, then Imran Khan can be considered as the prime minister, according to Express Tribune daily.The country’s top database authority record shows that there are 62,378 individuals who have the name “Imran Khan”, but only 10 call themselves “Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif”.If the search is expanded, one will find 515 named “Muhammad Nawaz Sharif”, and 111 named “Nawaz Sharif”.However, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman continues to keep his uniqueness in this scenario as there is only one Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.This is because contrary to custom in Pakistan – just keeping one caste along with your name – Bilawal has kept two.He is a Bhutto, after his mother, and a Zardari, after his father, making his name unique.However, Nadra records show that 13 individuals have adopted the name “Bilawal Bhutto”.On the other hand, PPP co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari is apparently more popular than his son.In Pakistan there are 10 individuals named “Asif Ali Zardari”.Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto’s name is also quite popular.Today, across Pakistan, there are 2,814 Benazirs, while 13 women have the name “Benazir Bhutto”.A senior Nadra official, while speaking about the 62,000 Imran Khans, said that the name “Imran”, already common in Pakistan, gained even more prominence after Pakistan won the cricket world cup in 1992 under the captaincy of Imran Khan.