Imran Khan and his party garnered sizable crowds to rallies in the months before the legislative elections planned for early 2013. Khan suffered head and back injuries when he fell from a platform during a campaign rally just a few days before the May 2013 legislative elections. Hours later, from his hospital bed, he appeared on television to make one last plea to voters. The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), led by Nawaz Sharif, won more seats than the PTI in the elections, but it still won fewer than half of those seats.He oversaw four months of protests with other opposition leaders in late 2014 to put pressure on Sharif to resign. Although Sharif was not removed by the protests, accusations of corruption were increased when the Panama Papers revealed that his family had offshore holdings. Late in 2016, Khan abruptly canceled the protests after the Supreme Court decided to launch an inquiry.In July of the following year, elections were held. Khan ran on a platform of eradicating poverty and corruption while having to defend himself against claims that he was too friendly with the military establishment. Given that the PTI gained most seats in the National Assembly, Khan was free to pursue a coalition with independent lawmakers. On August 18, he was appointed prime minister. When Khan was prime minister, a balance-of-payments crisis was growing. Despite the economy’s expansion, imports, and debt obligations from before his administration has risen in recent years, largely because of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. The issue grew worse when Pakistan’s efforts to combat terrorism were deemed insufficient by the United States, which withheld $300 million in pledged military aid. Previously, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had failed to support sufficiently so, Khan first tried to secure funding from ally nations.

The COVID-19 pandemic, which started in early 2020, made the nation’s economic problems worse. Khan took quite long to approve a lockdown. While the opposition-run province administration in Sindh moved quickly to impose a stringent lockdown in March. In April, Khan finally imposed a statewide lockdown; in May, his administration started limiting lockdowns to areas with high infection rates.

People’s Democratic Movement (PDM), a coalition of the major opposition groups, was established in late 2020 with the declared objective of strengthening the independence of civilian governance from the military establishment. Khan was called to resign in protests and rallies organized by the PDM, who charged him with being an army puppet.

As anger over ongoing inflation increased, the opposition prepared to hold its own vote of confidence in March 2022; Several PTI party members and important PTI supporters defected from the ruling alliance. Following the vote, Khan was ousted as prime minister for the first time in Pakistan’s history on April 10 because of a motion of no confidence.

Last Updated: Apr 2023

 

Imran Khan the former captain of Pakistan Cricket team and the leader of the Tehrik-e-Insaaf was born on November 25, 1952 at Lahore. He received his initial education at Aitchison College, Lahore and then took admission in the Royal Grammar School, Worcester in England. Thereafter, he went to study Economics and Politics at Keble College, Oxford from 1973 to 1976.

Cricket was very much a part of Imran Khan’s family. Inspired by his cousins, Javed Burki and Majid Khan who were first class cricketers, Imran Khan started playing cricket during his school years at the age of thirteen. He also played Cricket for Oxford University. He made his first class test debut for Lahore at the age of sixteen and his test debut in England, 1971 when he was only 18 years old.

Being an all-rounder Imran Khan achieved reputation as one of the fastest bowlers of his times and became the captain of Pakistan cricket team in 1981. He led Pakistan to numerous victories. Imran led the Pakistani team to its first victory against India on their home soil. His glorious victory was, indeed, to win World Cup victory at Melbourne in 1992 when he made the nation highly amused and proud of him during the holy month of Ramadan. Imran Khan was one of the few cricketers who captivated their fans by their charismatic and indomitable personality till the very end of his career. He retired from Cricket at the peak of his career. He made immense contribution to cricket and caused to produce so many superstars like Abdul Qadir, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Inzimamul Haq.

After watching his mother suffer miserably from cancer in 1984, Imran Khan vowed to build a cancer hospital and at last with his great endeavors succeeded to open in 1996, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital in Lahore in memory of his mother. The Hospital really proved to be a mammoth project, with the entire nation making contributions towards this noble cause. The Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital has gained international recognition in the world where free cancer treatment is provided to the poor patients. Now in Karachi is under way the foundation of another Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital for which he is striving day and night.

Imran Khan married Jemima, the daughter of the late multi-millionaire Jew, Sir James Goldsmith in 1995. She embraced Islam and was named as Haiqa. In 1996 Imran Khan, disappointed with the state of national politics, decided to form Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf of which he remains the Chairman to date. Imran Khan claims to have entered the field of politics in order to reform the deteriorating social and political conditions of Pakistan. The main aim of his party is to eradicate the evil of corruption from the society and to bring justice to all and sundry. His political career started with him contesting the 1997 general elections in which he was unable to get any seat. In 2002 elections, however, Imran Khan succeeded to secure his own NA seat and is at present an active member of the Opposition struggling hard for the sovereignty of the Parliament.

Government of Pakistan acknowledged the services of Imran Khan when he was given Hilal-e-Imtiaz in 1993.

Till date Imran, with the support of his party, continues to strive towards his goal of making Pakistan a country that posses anti-corruption policies. His large rallies, commonly known by the youth as a “tsunami”, still influence people. Imran Khan’s party was deemed as the main rival of Mian Nawaz Sharif and his party PML-N in the general elections of 2013.Photo by: Jawad Zakariya

The main objectives of his party were to cleanse and purify Pakistan from corruption present today.

Before the elections 2013 numerous surveys convey Imran Khan to be the most popular leader of the country because of the objectives of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), which were based on the important issues,Pakistan faces these days. On 23 March 2013, in a gathering at Iqbal Park Lahore, Imran Khan promised to change the view of Pakistan and aimed to make Pakistan a peaceful, progressing and economically stable country.

Days before the election, Imran Khan suffered a traumatic fall from a forklift while being lifted to an overhead platform during one of his numerous rallies. This incident caught the attention of millions of fans and well-wishers who gathered around the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital chanting slogans and praying that their leader would recover soon. Despite his fall Imran continued to address his supporters through video link from his hospital bed.

Imran Khan’s party won the elections in one of the four provinces of Pakistan and has now successfully set up its government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where Pervez Khataq is the Chief Minister. In addition PTI is also the opposition party nationwide.

This article was last updated on Aug, 2013