Imran Khan

Template:Short description Template:Pp-move Template:Protection padlock Template:About other people Template:Use Pakistani English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox officeholder Template:Contains special characters Template:Imran Khan sidebar Imran Ahmed Khan NiaziTemplate:Efn (born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani former cricketer, philanthropist, and politician who served as the 19th prime minister of Pakistan from August 2018 until April 2022. As a cricketer, he captained the Pakistan national cricket team to victory in the 1992 Cricket World Cup. After retiring from cricket, he founded the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Pakistan's first cancer hospital. He is the founder of the political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and was its chairman from 1996 to 2023.

Born in Lahore, he graduated from Keble College, Oxford. He began his international cricket career in a 1971 Test series against England. He advocated for neutral umpiring during his captaincy. He led Pakistan to its first-ever Test series victories in India and England during 1987. Playing until 1992, he captained the Pakistan national cricket team for most of the 1980s and early 1990s. In addition to achieving the all-rounder's triple of scoring 3,000 runs and taking 300 wickets in Tests, he holds the world record for the most wickets as a captain in Test cricket, along with the second-best bowling figures in an innings. Moreover, he has won the most Player of the Series awards in Test cricket for Pakistan and ranks fourth overall in Test history. In 2009, he was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

In his bachelorhood, he had several relationships and was associated with London's nightlife. His first girlfriend, Emma Sergeant, was, according to him, the one woman he truly loved before his first marriage. He had a relationship with Ana-Luisa (Sita) White, daughter of industrialist Gordon White. A California court ruled Khan to be the father of her daughter Tyrian Jade, though he denied paternity. He dated German MTV host Kristiane Backer, introducing her to Islam; she later converted after their breakup. He married Jemima Goldsmith in 1995, had two sons, and divorced in 2004 due to her difficulty adjusting to life in Pakistan. He married British-Pakistani journalist Reham Khan in January 2015, but they divorced in October the same year. He married his spiritual guide Bushra Bibi on 18 February 2018.

He supported General Musharraf's 1999 Pakistani coup d'état. His political career involved perceived closeness to the military establishment, including contacts with several ISI chiefs. He became a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan for the first time in the 2002 general election. He contested the 2018 Pakistani general election from five constituencies and became the first in Pakistan's electoral history to win all of them. He was elected prime minister in a PTI-led coalition government. During COVID-19 in Pakistan, he launched Pakistan's largest welfare programme. In February 2022, he became the first Pakistani prime minister since 2002 to visit Moscow, arriving on the same day the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. During his premiership, he spoke out against Islamophobia in the western world. In April 2022, he became the first Pakistani prime minister to be removed from office through a no-confidence motion. He alleged US involvement in his removal, blaming Washington for opposing his foreign policy that sought closer relations with China and Russia.

In October 2022, the Election Commission of Pakistan barred him for one term from the National Assembly of Pakistan over the Toshakhana case. In November, he survived an assassination attempt. In May 2023, he was attending a hearing on corruption charges when paramilitary forces stormed the Islamabad High Court and arrested him; following the May 9 riots, he was released on protective bail a few days later. He was arrested again in August 2023. He has since been sentenced to 14 years in the Al-Qadir Trust case and, as of December 2024, faced 186 cases across Pakistan. He has alleged that his imprisonment is politically motivated, blaming the post-2022 military establishment and the Shehbaz Sharif government, both of which deny the claim.

Early life and family

File:JavedZamanWithImranKhan.jpg

Khan with his uncle Javed Zaman,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> who would later become his cricket mentor, Template:Circa.

Khan was born in Lahore on 5 October 1952.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>Template:Efn He is the only son of Ikramullah Khan Niazi, a civil engineer, and his wife, Shaukat Khanum, and has four sisters.<ref name="Warrior Race">Template:Cite book</ref> Paternally, Khan is of Pathan origin from the Niazi tribe.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Khan's maternal family is from the Burki community,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> having lived near Jalandhar for centuries before migrating to Pakistan after Independence in 1947.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

He attended Aitchison College and Cathedral School in Lahore.<ref name="flamboyant"/><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Khan arrived at Royal Grammar School Worcester in England in September 1971 and performed well in cricket there.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="TCM">Template:Cite news</ref> In 1972, after being turned down by Cambridge University,<ref name="ESPN">Ivo Tennant, "Excellence exhausted", espncricinfo.com, 4 September 2008</ref> Khan was admitted to Keble College, Oxford, where he studied philosophy, politics and economics, graduating in 1975.<ref name="oxford interview">Template:Cite news</ref> Paul Hayes, a cricket enthusiast, helped facilitate his entry.<ref name="ESPN"/>

Personal life

Khan had several relationships in his bachelorhood.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Dead link</ref> He was known as a "playboy" who was active in London's nightlife, often visiting Tramp in St James's.<ref name="bbc.co.uk">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> One or two of his girlfriends were called "mysterious blondes" in British tabloids. During the 1980s and 1990s, Khan was regarded as one of the most eligible bachelors.<ref name="mysteryblondes">Template:Cite news</ref>

His first girlfriend, Emma Sergeant, an artist and daughter of British investor Sir Patrick Sergeant, introduced him to socialites. The Times states Emma was the "one woman he truly loved before his first marriage."<ref name="mysteryblondes" /> They met in 1982 and visited Pakistan. She accompanied him everywhere, including a hunting trip to Peshawar and a cricket tour to Australia.<ref name="maidens">Template:Cite web</ref> She painted Khan's portrait during their relationship at his request.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Khan's Chelsea residence, near Sergeant's studio and Tramp, became central to his social life. After long separations, their relationship ended in 1986.<ref name="mysteryblondes" />

Jonathan Orders introduced Khan to Susie Murray-Philipson, whom he later invited to Pakistan and had dinner with in 1982. Their relationship did not progress, as Philipson felt out of place and found cultural differences irreconcilable. He also briefly dated Susannah Constantine, whom he met through Lulu Blacker; their relationship lasted about a year. Julia Verdin and Doone Murray were among other women associated with Khan, with their relationships receiving media attention.<ref name="mysteryblondes" />

Other women associated with Khan during this period include Zeenat Aman,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Sarah Crawley, Marie Helvin,<ref name="mysteryblondes" /> Stephanie Beacham, Caroline Kellett, Liza Campbell, Goldie Hawn, Sarah Giles,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Anastasia Cooke, and Hannah Rothschild. These relationships did not last, as Khan required residency in Pakistan for a serious, long-term commitment.<ref name="maidens"/>

Ana-Luisa White, daughter of British industrialist Gordon White and later known as Sita, began her relationship with Khan in 1986, shortly after his breakup with Emma Sergeant. The relationship lasted two years, ending when Khan reportedly wrote that he could not love her as Emma would always be the love of his life. White became pregnant after a final encounter in 1991 and gave birth to a daughter, Tyrian Jade,Template:RTemplate:R in June 1992. She later claimed Khan was the father and kept a framed photograph of him.<ref name="maidens"/> Tyrian became the subject of a legal dispute in 1997 when a California court ruled Khan her father after White filed a paternity suit. The ruling followed Khan's failure to respond to the suit or a blood test request.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Khan denied paternity, saying he does not live in California or England and welcomes White to Pakistan to present his side in court. He offered to take a paternity test in Pakistan and said he would accept the decision of the Pakistani courts.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After White's death in 2004, Jemima, Khan's wife and a friend of Sita, was named Tyrian's legal guardian in her will. Khan said Tyrian could join their family in London, leaving the decision to her due to her relationship with his and Jemima's sons.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In August 1992, Khan began dating Kristiane Backer, a German MTV host. Their nearly two-year relationship included him introducing her to Islam. After it ended, she converted to Islam following a meeting with Khan in 1995.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Khan and Jemima Goldsmith confirmed their engagement on 12 May 1995. The couple said they would marry, with Khan stating Jemima converted to Islam "through her own convictions" after studying the religion. Both families approved of the match. A spokesperson for her father denied rumours that Jemima was pregnant.<ref name="Independent1995">Template:Cite web</ref> On 16 May 1995, the couple married in a brief two-minute Islamic ceremony in Paris. On 21 June, they had a civil ceremony at the Richmond register office before moving to Lahore. They had two sons, Sulaiman Isa and Kasim.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 22 June 2004, the couple divorced, ending their nine-year marriage as it was "difficult for Jemima to adapt to life in Pakistan."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On 8 January 2015, Khan married British-Pakistani journalist Reham Khan in a private Nikah ceremony at his Islamabad residence.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 22 October 2015, they announced plans to divorce.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2016, media speculated about Khan’s possible third marriage, linked to his spiritual ties with the Maneka family of Pakpattan. Reports claimed he visited Pakpattan several times in July to meet Maryam Riaz Wattoo, sister of his spiritual guide Bushra Bibi. Khan dismissed the claims as "absolutely baseless".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Members of the Manika family also denied the rumour.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Khan called the media "unethical" for spreading it,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and PTI filed a complaint against the channels involved.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2017, PTI member Ayesha Gulalai alleged that Khan, then party chairman, sexually harassed her.Template:Sfn Gulalai said Khan had sent her "inappropriate text messages",<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> with the first sent in October 2013.<ref name="ids">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Khan supported Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi's proposal for a special committee to investigate the claims. He said he had not sent "indecent messages" to Gulalai and "challenge[d] the [proposed] committee to find [the indecent texts] if there are any".<ref name="probe">Template:Cite news</ref> Khan refused to cooperate with a bipartisan committee formed to investigate Gulalai's allegations and filed a defamation suit against her. No inquiry was ultimately conducted, and Gulalai did not publicly release the alleged messages.<ref name="ids"/>

On 7 January 2018, the PTI central secretariat said Khan had proposed to Bushra, but she had not yet accepted.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 18 February 2018, PTI confirmed Khan had married Bushra.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The mufti who conducted the marriage later testified that Khan's nikah was performed twice. He said the first, on 1 January 2018, occurred while Bushra was still in iddat, and alleged Khan believed marrying on that date would help him become prime minister.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

As of 2018, Khan owned five dogs, including Motu at his Bani Gala estate.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Cricket career

File:Imran Khan at Sydney University Luncheon, 1984.png

Khan as a test cricketer at a luncheon with Sydney University's Vice-Chancellor John Manning Ward before playing for the university club. Seated: Imran Khan, Chancellor Sir Hermann Black, Coach John Dyson. Ward stands second from left, 1984

Khan made his first-class debut at 16 in Lahore. By the early 1970s, he played for local teams: Lahore A,Template:Efn Lahore B,Template:Efn Lahore Greens,Template:Efn and Lahore.Template:Efn<ref name="cricket archive">Template:Cite web</ref> He was part of the University of Oxford Blues Cricket team from 1973 to 1975.<ref name="oxford interview"/> Between 1971 and 1976, Khan played English county cricket for Worcestershire and also represented Dawood IndustriesTemplate:Efn and Pakistan International Airlines.Template:Efn From 1983 to 1988, he played for Sussex.<ref name="cricket archive"/>

Khan made his Test cricket debut against England in June 1971 at Edgbaston.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In August 1974, he played his first One Day International (ODI) match, again against England, at Trent Bridge for the Prudential Trophy.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

He received the Wetherell Award for leading all-rounder in English first-class cricket in 1976 and 1980.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> By 1977, Khan was playing in Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

File:Imran Khans bowling statistic.png

Khan's bowling statistics as a cricketer from 1971 to 1991.

As a bowler, Khan learned reverse swing from Sarfraz Nawaz and later taught it to Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> From January 1980 to 1988, Khan took 236 Test wickets at an average of 17.77, including 18 five-wicket hauls and five 10-wicket hauls, with statistics comparing favourably with Richard Hadlee, Malcolm Marshall, Dennis Lillee, Joel Garner and Michael Holding in both average and strike rate.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Khan was the leading Test wicket-taker in 1982.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He recorded his best Test figures, taking 8 wickets for 58 runs against Sri Lanka in 1981–82.<ref name="stats2">Template:Cite web</ref>

Captaincy

In 1982, Khan became captain of the Pakistan national cricket team.<ref name="stats1">Template:Cite web</ref> Under Khan, Pakistan won their first Test in England in 28 years at Lord's in 1982.<ref name="English Test win">Template:Cite news</ref> In 1983, he was named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year.Template:Sfn During Pakistan's 1982–83 series against India, he took 40 wickets at an average of 13.95.Template:Sfn In January 1983, he became the second cricketer, after Ian Botham, to score a century and take 10 wickets in a Test.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Next month, he reached a Test bowling rating of 922,Template:Efn the highest International Cricket Council (ICC) rating since World War I,Template:Sfn and third in all-time ICC Test bowling.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Khan became the first Pakistani bowler to take 200 Test wickets, with Wisden Cricketers' Almanack noting he "bowled with such venom and fire that no Indian batsman other than Mohinder Amarnath faced him with any confidence."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The series caused a stress fracture in his left shin, sidelining him over two years. Initially, he could bat but not bowl; later, he could not play at all. An experimental treatment in London, funded by the Pakistani government, helped him recover by late 1984. Khan returned under Javed Miandad's captaincy in the 1984–85 home series against Sri Lanka. Afterward, Miandad stepped down, citing limited co-operation from Khan, who was then reappointed captain.Template:R

Khan initiated reforms in cricket umpiring to reduce criticism of Pakistani officials in home series.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Writing for The Guardian, Mike Selvey said that "such was his power" that in 1986 Khan invited Indian umpires VK Ramaswamy and Piloo Reporter to officiate a Test against West Indies, marking the first step in independent umpiring. He later brought England's John Hampshire and John Holder for the home series against India in 1989–90. This led to the 1994 rule requiring one neutral umpire and the 2002 mandate for both umpires to be independent.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1987, Khan led Pakistan to its first Test series win in India, followed by its first series victory in England the same year.<ref name="English Test win" /> Khan retired from international cricket after the 1987 Cricket World Cup.Template:Sfn He was asked to return as captain by General Zia-ul-Haq, and he accepted the offer.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 1988, Khan led Pakistan on a successful West Indies tour.<ref name="2006 profile">Template:Cite news</ref> He was named Man of the Series, taking 23 wickets in three Tests.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He became the first Asian and eighth non-Australian to win the International Cricketer of the Year in 1989.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

As captain, Khan led Pakistan in 48 Tests (14 wins, 8 losses, 26 draws) and 139 ODIs (75 wins, 59 losses, 1 tie).<ref name="stats1"/> In Tests, he holds the record for most wickets as captain, second-best innings figures (8/60), most five-wicket hauls in an innings (12), and most ten-wicket match hauls (4).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

1992 Cricket World Cup final

File:Imran Khan at the 1992 Cricket World Cup Ceremony.jpg

Khan presenting the World Cup to the then Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif, during a dinner held in the team's honour after their win in the 1992 World Cup.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Khan led Pakistan to victory in the 1992 Cricket World Cup.Template:Sfn In the final, he top-scored with 72 runs.<ref name="sc1">Template:Cite web</ref> He brought back Wasim Akram in the 35th over after Allan Lamb and Neil Fairbrother had added 72 runs. Akram dismissed Lamb and Chris Lewis.<ref name="WC">Template:Cite web</ref> Khan claimed the final wicket himself.<ref name="sc1" /> This was Pakistan's first world cup victory.<ref name="WC"/> After the victory, Khan said,

Retirement

He played his last Test in January 1992 against Sri Lanka and retired after leading Pakistan to victory in the 1992 Cricket World Cup Final.<ref name="stats2"/>

Career stats

He ended his career with 88 Tests, 126 innings, scoring 3,807 runs at an average of 37.69, including six centuries, 18 fifties, and a highest score of 136.<ref name="stats2"/> Khan had the second-highest all-time Test batting average of 61.86 playing at number six in the batting order.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> As a bowler, he took 362 Test wickets.<ref name="stats2"/> He has won the most Player of the Series awards for Pakistan in Test cricket, ranking fourth overall in Test history.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In ODIs, he played 175 matches, scoring 3,709 runs at an average of 33.41, with a highest score of 102 not out.<ref name="stats2"/> His best ODI bowling was 6 for 14, the highest ODI innings figures recorded by any bowler in a defeat.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Khan achieved the all-rounder's triple—3,000 runs and 300 wickets—in 75 Tests,<ref name="3rd_fastest">Template:Cite news</ref> becoming among the first four players to reach it. As of 2025, he is one of eleven players to do so,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and his 75-Test achievement is the third-fastest ever.<ref name="3rd_fastest"/>

Post-retirement from cricket

After retiring, Khan said he had engaged in ball tampering during county cricket, saying he "occasionally scratched the side of the ball and lifted the seam," and defended it by saying it was a commonplace practice.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He announced his return as a domestic league coach in May 2003.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

He occasionally appeared as a cricket commentator on Star TV.<ref name="WP profile">Template:Cite news</ref> In 2004, during the Indian cricket team's tour of Pakistan, he appeared as a commentator on TEN Sports' live show, Straight Drive.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On 23 November 2005, Khan was appointed Chancellor of the University of Bradford.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2009, he was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 26 February 2014, the University of Bradford Union moved a no-confidence motion to remove him for missing all graduation ceremonies since 2010.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 30 November 2014, he stepped down, citing "increasing political commitments," although it was reported that he effectively resigned under pressure.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Philanthropy

Template:Main Khan served as UNICEF Special Representative for Sports, promoting health and immunisation programmes in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Thailand.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 1994, Khan founded Pakistan's first cancer hospital, the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, named after his mother,<ref name="times profile">Template:Cite news</ref> who had died of cancer.Template:Sfn Khan raised funds by touring the country, with most donations coming from common people.<ref name="times profile"/> He aimed to provide free treatment to underprivileged patients, and as of 2024, 70 percent of patients receive free care.Template:Sfn

File:Imran Khan at Pakistan Embassy School, Jeddah.jpg

Khan fundraising for Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Jeddah, 1992

To aid victims of the 2001 Islamabad cloud burst, Khan auctioned his signed 1992 Cricket World Cup bat and match sweater; the bat alone fetched US$20,000. He said these were the last items he had, having earlier auctioned the rest for Shaukat Khanum Hospital.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In December 2005, Khan, then Chancellor of the University of Bradford, signed a memorandum of understanding to establish Namal College in Mianwali as its associate college. Built by the Mianwali Development Trust on land donated by locals, it aimed to tackle unemployment through technical and vocational education.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The college opened in 2008.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2006, while visiting his children in London, he also worked with the Lord's Taverners cricket charity.<ref name="times profile"/>

Khan established The Imran Khan Foundation (IKF) in February 2006.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In January 2013, IKF launched a Rs30 million relief project for internally displaced persons of the Mehsud tribe from North Waziristan, providing food, winter essentials, and tents to 2,600 families in Tank, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, who had limited government assistance.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Political career

Initial years

File:Imran in peshawar.jpg

Khan at a political rally in Peshawar in 1996

In 1987, President Zia-ul-Haq offered him a post in the Pakistan Muslim League (PML), which he declined. In 1993, Khan was appointed tourism ambassador in the caretaker government of Moeenuddin Ahmad Qureshi for three months until it was dissolved. In late 1994, he joined former ISI chief Hamid Gul and Muhammad Ali Durrani of Pasban, a breakaway of Jamaat-e-Islami, to launch a "pressure group" as a civil society watchdog. Khan soon grew uncomfortable with being seen as closely associated with Gul and left the group.<ref name="flamboyant">Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1995, Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, fearing a military coup that could make Khan Prime Minister, responded with punitive measures. State television refused to air archival cricket footage and banned fundraising ads for his Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital during Ramadan. Authorities also planted rumours that Khan was under investigation for embezzlement and tax irregularities. Donations to the hospital halved that year as a result.<ref name="Tim">Template:Cite news</ref>

On 25 April 1996, Khan founded the political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).Template:Sfn Nawaz Sharif invited Khan to join his party, offering second-in-command position and 30 National Assembly seats; Khan declined.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He ran for the National Assembly in the 1997 Pakistani general election from the constituencies — NA-53 Mianwali and NA-94 Lahore — as a PTI candidate but lost both to PML-N.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Khan supported General Musharraf's 1999 Pakistani coup d'état,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> believing Musharraf would "end corruption and clear out the political mafias."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Khan's PTI was among the parties that supported Pervez Musharraf in the 2002 Pakistani referendum.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Khan participated in the 2002 Pakistani general election and said that if his party did not win a majority, they would consider forming a coalition.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was the only winner from PTI in that election.Template:Sfn

File:Imran Khan - portrait (cropped).jpg

Khan in 2007

On 6 May 2005, Hendrik Hertzberg described Khan as "most directly responsible" for drawing attention in the Muslim world to the alleged desecration of the Qur'an at Guantánamo Bay Naval Base.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In August 2005, Declan Walsh called Khan a "miserable politician", saying "Khan's ideas and affiliations since entering politics in 1996 have swerved and skidded like a rickshaw in a rainshower... He preaches democracy one day but gives a vote to reactionary mullahs the next."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In March 2006, Khan was escorted home by police and placed under house arrest after threatening to protest against President George W. Bush during his visit to Pakistan.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

File:Iktearsoffpapers.jpg

Khan tearing his nomination paper for the National Assembly at a press conference; he boycotted the 2008 elections.

On 2 October 2007, as part of the All Parties Democratic Movement, Khan joined 85 MPs in resigning from Parliament to protest the 2007 Pakistani presidential election, which General Musharraf contested without resigning as army chief.<ref name="resignation">Template:Cite news</ref> On 3 November 2007, Khan was placed under house arrest after Musharraf declared a state of emergency; he later escaped from detention.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He emerged from hiding on 14 November to join a student protest at the University of the Punjab.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> At the rally, activists from the Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, restrained Khan inside a building.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He was arrested during the protest and sent to the Central Jail, Dera Ghazi Khan, where he spent a week before release.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

He opposed the 2010 military operation in Kala Dhaka.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On 30 October 2011, Khan addressed over 100,000 supporters in Lahore, challenging government policies, and calling his movement "not a flood that is coming, but a tsunami."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Another gathering of at least 100,000 supporters occurred in Karachi on 25 December 2011.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In August 2012, the Pakistani Taliban issued death threats to Khan over his march to their tribal stronghold to protest U.S. drone strikes in Pakistan, calling him a "liberal" and "secular" — terms they equated with being an infidel.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 1 October, they withdrew death threats and offered him protection for the rally. They "endorse[d] Imran Khan's plea that drone strikes are against our sovereignty."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 6 October, Khan led a convoy of 10,000 to protest US drone strikes. The convoy was stopped by hundreds of security personnel just miles from South Waziristan's border. After an hour of failed negotiations, Khan announced the rally would return to Tank, about 15 kilometres away.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

2013 elections

Khan chose the cricket bat as the electoral symbol for his party in the 2013 elections, and it remained as such until 2023

On 21 April 2013, Khan launched his election campaign from Lahore, addressing thousands at The Mall.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Khan announced he would pull Pakistan from the US-led war on terror and said he would work to bring peace to the Pashtun tribal belt.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He announced that PTI would introduce a uniform education system aimed at providing equal opportunities for all children.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Khan concluded his campaign in South Punjab's Seraiki belt by addressing rallies in various cities.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On 7 May, four days before the elections, Khan fell from a lifter while boarding a stage at a rally, sustaining head injuries,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and four fractured vertebrae.<ref name="VM">Template:Cite news</ref> He ended the campaign by addressing a rally in Islamabad via video link from his hospital bed.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

The 2013 Pakistani general election was held on 11 May. The Pakistan Muslim League (N), headed by Nawaz Sharif, won, while Khan alleged vote-rigging.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The day after the elections, Asad Umar, a leader from his party, announced that Khan had conceded defeat to PML (N).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> While Khan's party welcomed the vote, he pledged to release a white paper on alleged rigging and announced plans for protests.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

His party became the leading party in the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Khan nominated Pervez Khattak to lead his party's first provincial government.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In opposition

Template:See also Khan became his party's parliamentary leader in the National Assembly of Pakistan after the 2013 elections.<ref name="Noria Research">Template:Cite web</ref> On 31 July 2013, he received a contempt-of-court notice for allegedly describing the superior judiciary as "shameful."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The notice was discharged after he told the Supreme Court that his criticism targeted lower-court judicial officers serving as returning officers during the 2013 elections.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Khan meets U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in August 2013 while he was in opposition

Khan was criticised for supporting Sami-ul-Haq, described as the "Father of the Taliban," and funding his seminary, Darul Uloom Haqqania.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He accused the US of undermining peace with the Pakistani Taliban by killing its leader Hakimullah Mehsud in a drone strike in 2013. He announced plans for protests and to block NATO's supply lines to Afghanistan if drone attacks, which he said "fanned fanaticism," continued.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On 11 May 2014, a year after the elections, Khan demanded the resignation of all Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) members, a new ECP, and strict punishment for those who "stole the mandate of the masses."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 14 August 2014, Khan led a rally from Lahore to Islamabad, demanding Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's resignation and an investigation into alleged electoral fraud.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Khan and Canadian-Pakistani cleric Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri formed a "de facto" alliance to mobilise supporters for a regime-change campaign against Sharif.Template:Sfn<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

File:Pakistanprotests2014.webm

In 2014, then-PTI president Javed Hashmi alleged Khan was instructed by the army to coordinate his protests with Pakistan Awami Tehreek (PAT), led by Qadri.<ref name="Noria Research"/> Hashmi accused Khan of being "influenced by a 'signal' from outside," which The New York Times called "an apparent reference to military intervention."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Inter-Services Public Relations said it backed neither PTI nor PAT. The army acted as mediator between the protesters and the government.<ref name="ISPR2014">Template:Cite news</ref> In 2016, Hashmi said Khan had "conspired" with "disgruntled elements in the army".<ref name="Dawn2017">Template:Cite web</ref> In the Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Pakistan, Aparna Pande, a Research Fellow at the Hudson Institute, writes that parts of the army backed the protests; Khan was advised by then ISI chief Zaheer-ul-Islam, and the ISI drafted Qadri to lead them.Template:Sfn

On 1 September, protesters led by Qadri and Khan attempted to storm Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's official residence, triggering violence that left three dead and over 595 injured, including 115 police officers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> PTI and PAT protesters also stormed state-run PTV, assaulting staff.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Later in September, Khan urged supporters to burn electricity bills and join civil disobedience.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Following the 2014 Peshawar school massacre, Khan ended his 126-day sit-in on 17 December for national unity.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In March 2015, Khan's party agreed with the Sharif administration to form a judicial commission to probe electoral fraud, a move facilitated by Army Chief General Raheel Sharif.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In July, the commission found the elections broadly fair with no systemic rigging.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Khan accepted the commission's findings but said he had not received a copy.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Khan campaigned against Nawaz Sharif after the Panama Papers leaks in 2016, leading protests and calling for his resignation over corruption allegations.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

2018 elections campaign

Khan campaigns for the elections in Sindh while wearing a traditional Sindhi cap and Ajrak in 2017

Khan contested the 2018 Pakistani general election from NA-35 (Bannu),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> NA-53 (Islamabad-II),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> NA-95 (Mianwali-I),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> NA-131 (Lahore-IX),<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref> and NA-243 (Karachi East-II).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Khan became the first in Pakistan elections history to contest and win all five constituencies, surpassing Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who contested four and won three in 1970.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Opposition parties alleged "massive rigging" and military influence in Khan's favour.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Nawaz Sharif and PML (N) alleged that the military aligned with the judiciary affected the election outcome in Khan's favour.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Election Commission rejected the allegations.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Two days after the 2018 elections, Michael Gahler, chief observer of the European Union Election Observation Mission to Pakistan, said the overall situation of the election was satisfactory.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Nominations and appointments

On 6 August 2018, his party nominated him for prime minister.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He designated Asad Umar as finance minister for his prospective government.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He nominated Mahmood Khan for Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and Usman Buzdar for Chief Minister of Punjab.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In Balochistan, Khan directed his party to back the Balochistan Awami Party, which nominated Jam Kamal Khan as chief minister and Abdul Quddus Bizenjo as speaker.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Prime Minister (2018–2022)

Khan (left) is sworn in as Prime Minister, with President Mamnoon Hussain administering the oath in 2018.

Khan was sworn in as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan on 18 August 2018 after his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), won the 2018 Pakistani general election.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His first military appointment was Lt. General Asim Munir as Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Khan initially held the Ministry of Interior portfolio after forming his cabinet.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Domestic policy

Economy

Khan, accompanied by his finance minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh and other cabinet members, meets US President Donald Trump and his secretary of commerce Wilbur Ross, among others, at the World Economic Forum held in Davos, Switzerland, in 2020

On taking office, Khan cut spending by reducing PM staff from 524 to 2,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and auctioning eight buffaloes and 61 luxury vehicles previously acquired for the PM's office.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> According to BBC, he was criticised for using a helicopter to commute while promoting austerity.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In June 2020, Bloomberg said that Khan's popularity was falling, citing what it described as a weak economy, inflation, and corruption probes involving his aides.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2021, official records showed that PM House expenses and PM Office budget fell by 49% and 29%, respectively.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> His 12 foreign trips cost $680,000, which was less than a single New York visit by his predecessors.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After Khan's no-confidence, economist Atif Mian said he inherited a bad economy and left it worse, adding there was "zero increase in average income" with Pakistan still in a balance of payments crisis.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Environment and energy

Template:See also In July 2018, then Chief Justice of Pakistan, Saqib Nisar, launched a fundraiser for the construction of the Diamer-Bhasha Dam and Mohmand Dam.<ref name="DF">Template:Cite news</ref> Khan urged overseas Pakistanis to support Nisar's fundraiser.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> As of November 2023, the dams fund was Rs17.86 billion.<ref name="DF"/>

In September 2018, Khan launched the 10 Billion Tree Tsunami programme.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In June 2020, Khan attended the signing ceremony for the $2.5 billion Kohala Hydropower Project (1,124 MW).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In July 2020, Khan announced the establishment of 15 national parks under the Protected Areas Initiative.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In December 2020, Khan announced at the Climate Ambition Summit that Pakistan would scrap two coal projects (2,600 MW) and set a target of 60% renewable energy by 2030.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In September 2022, The Nation reported the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) found over Rs3.49 billion in irregularities in the 10-Billion Tree Tsunami, including fake reports, over-claimed areas (Rs305.523 million), overlapping plantations, and uncertified seeds (Rs109.365 million).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Press freedom

In 2019, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) criticised the Interior Ministry and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for investigating journalists who posted photos of murdered Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In December 2021, the International Press Institute sent an open letter to Khan, citing "grave concerns" over the proposed Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA) ordinance.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> A Pakistan Press Foundation report said that Khan, without providing evidence, referred to journalists as "mafias" and "blackmailers".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Accountability

Khan ordered an inquiry into claims that his aide Jahangir Tareen benefited from sugar export subsidies and rising local prices.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The inquiry found that sugar mills, including Tareen's JDW Group, received much of the 2015–18 export subsidies, which were linked to higher prices.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In December 2020, Khan said he wanted Nawaz Sharif extradited from London to Pakistan to face trial in the Panama Papers case.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2021, after the Pandora Papers revealed some of his ministers' offshore holdings, Khan said any wrongdoing was their "individual acts and they will have to be held accountable". The ICIJ said the documents "contain no suggestion that Khan himself owns offshore companies". Asked about two companies at a similar address, Khan said he had no link and added that two houses in the same neighbourhood share the address.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

The 2022 Cabinet Division yearbook said the Assets Recovery Unit (ARU), established by Khan, helped agencies recover Rs426.4 billion, which was Rs93.9 billion more than total recoveries from 2000 to 2017. The ARU supports law enforcement agencies and does not recover assets directly.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2023, The Daily Telegraph reported that Lt. General Asim Munir proposed an investigation into corruption allegations involving Khan's wife, Bushra Bibi, during Khan's tenure in June 2019. Shortly afterward, Munir was removed as Director-General of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and replaced by Lt. General Faiz Hameed. Khan said Munir's proposed investigation was not the reason for his removal.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Social policy

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Gurdwara Darbar Sahib renovated by Khan's government

Khan inaugurated the Kartarpur Corridor on 9 November 2019, providing visa-free access for Indian Sikh pilgrims.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In September 2020, Khan proposed public hanging and chemical castration for sexual violence offenders.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Council of Islamic Ideology deemed chemical castration un-Islamic, so the punishment was removed from an anti-rape law that was passed in late 2021.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In December 2020, educationist Michael Barber called the Ehsaas Programme Khan's flagship initiative, praising its transparency, multi-sectoral approach, and initiatives like Ehsaas Kafaalat and Nashonuma.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In June 2021, Khan drew criticism when he suggested that the rise in rape cases in Pakistan was linked to women wearing "very few clothes," claiming that such behavior would "have an impact on the men unless they are robots." This comment was criticised by women's rights groups, accusing him of being a "rape apologist."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Khan later said the rapist is always solely responsible, the victim never is, and his earlier comments were taken out of context.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

COVID-19 pandemic

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Prime Minister Khan calls for global debt relief amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, April 2020

On 17 March 2020, Khan addressed the nation for the first time regarding COVID-19 in Pakistan. He ruled out a complete lockdown, citing extreme poverty.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After Khan ruled out a lockdown again on 22 March 2020, the Pakistan Army took action at the request of the provinces, imposing a nationwide lockdown within 24 hours.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Analyst Ayesha Siddiqa said Khan appeared confused and reliant on a military that made key decisions without him.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Khan elevated the status of the construction sector to that of an industry and provided incentives such as tax breaks, sales tax reduction in coordination with provinces, and a subsidy of Rs30 billion to the Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme. He said that investors in the industry would not be asked about their source of income for the year and removed withholding tax for all construction sectors except cement and steel. Additionally, capital gains tax was withdrawn for homeowners selling houses.<ref name="incentives">Template:Cite news</ref>

Khan launched Pakistan's largest welfare programme,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> distributing a lump sum of Rs12,000 to 10 million low-income citizens under the Ehsaas Programme.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Khan also adopted a smart lockdown strategy, which used military technology for tracking and tracing COVID-19 cases, targeting specific virus hotspots instead of implementing a nationwide lockdown.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He said that strict lockdowns would devastate Pakistan's economy and lead to starvation.<ref name="npr">Template:Cite news</ref>

Khan called for debt relief for developing nations during the pandemic, a proposal that gained support from the United Nations and several African countries.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Foreign policy

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Khan with US President Donald Trump at the White House, July 2019

President Donald Trump tweeted in November 2018 that he would cut billions in aid to Pakistan, saying it had not done "a damn thing for us." Khan responded that U.S. aid was a "minuscule" $20 billion, while Pakistan had lost 75,000 lives and over $123 billion fighting the "US War on Terror." He also said that Pakistan had provided supply routes to U.S. forces, asking, "Can Mr Trump name another ally that gave such sacrifices?"<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Khan later told the US that Pakistan would no longer act as its "hired gun."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

After the 2019 Pulwama attack in Indian-held Kashmir, India blamed Pakistan. Khan said Pakistan was not involved in the attack and authorised the military to respond with force to any Indian aggression.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After India's 2019 Balakot airstrike, Pakistan carried out Operation Swift Retort, during which Indian pilot Abhinandan Varthaman was captured and later released on Khan's order as a gesture aimed at de-escalation.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Khan declined to engage with India after the August 2019 Revocation of the special status of Jammu and Kashmir, and twice denied permission for Narendra Modi's flight to cross Pakistani airspace.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Khan supported Turkey during the 2019 Turkish offensive into north-eastern Syria.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He supported the Afghan peace process and facilitated trade by inaugurating a 24/7 border crossing with Afghanistan.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2019, he was named in the Time 100 list of most influential people.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In June 2020, addressing the National Assembly of Pakistan, Khan called Osama bin Laden a shaheed (martyr), drawing opposition criticism.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> His visit to Saudi Arabia aimed to address tensions arising from Pakistan's decision not to support the Saudi-led intervention in the Yemeni civil war.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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Khan met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow just hours after Russia's invasion of Ukraine began.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In February 2022, Khan became the first Pakistani prime minister in two decades to visit Moscow to discuss economic and energy cooperation. A video showed him saying, "What a time I have come…so much excitement," which coincided with the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The visit was criticised by the United States.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Khan discussed "economic and energy cooperation" with Russian president Vladimir Putin, including development of the Pakistan Stream gas pipeline.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Khan said the visit was pre-planned and was intended to maintain neutrality in global alliances.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> At a UN General Assembly emergency session, Pakistan abstained from condemning Russia, with Khan calling for de-escalation and respect for international law.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He expressed criticism of Western envoys who urged Pakistan to support the UN resolution.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> After his ouster, Khan said the visit had secured offers of discounted oil and wheat. The Russian ambassador said no formal agreements were signed.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

FATF compliance

In June 2022, two months after Khan's ouster, FATF removed Pakistan from the grey list, citing completion of the 2018 and 2021 action plans.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Khan attributed the outcome to his government, especially former energy minister Hammad Azhar, who led the FATF Coordination Committee.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Shehbaz Sharif government also said that it deserved credit, while The Express Tribune said Khan's government had "done most of the work."<ref name="NH">Template:Cite news</ref>

Stance regarding Islamophobia

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While addressing the Seventy-fifth session of the United Nations General Assembly in 2020, Prime Minister Khan suggested an international day to combat Islamophobia.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In September 2019, Khan, along with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, announced an English-language TV channel to address Islamophobia.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In October 2020, Khan objected to the spread of Islamophobia, urging Facebook to ban related content and accusing French President Emmanuel Macron of attacking Islam for supporting cartoons of Prophet Muhammad.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2021, Khan called on Muslim countries to press the West to criminalise insults against Prophet Muhammad, likening it to laws against Holocaust denial.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Khan said, "We need to explain why this hurts us, when in the name of freedom of speech they insult the honour of the prophet... when 50 Muslim countries will unite and say this, and say that if something like this happens in any country, then we will launch a trade boycott on them and not buy their goods, that will have an effect."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In March 2022, Pakistan led a UN resolution to designate 15 March as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Removal from office

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Imran Khan, accompanied by foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and Chief of Army Staff Qamar Javed Bajwa

In August 2023, The Intercept published a leaked Pakistani diplomatic cipher showing that, on 7 March 2022, US State Department officials, including Donald Lu, raised concern over Khan's stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to the cipher, as reported by Pakistan's ambassador, the U.S. said that "all will be forgiven in Washington" if Khan was removed in the no-confidence motion and indicated the possibility of economic and political isolation if he stayed. After publication, the U.S. denied trying to remove Khan, saying its concerns were about policy, not leadership.<ref name=voa-20230809>Template:Cite news</ref>

On 8 March 2022, opposition parties filed a no-confidence motion against Khan, alleging economic mismanagement such as — rising inflation, high debt, a weakening currency — and foreign policy.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> By 18 March, some party members had defected and two coalition partners joined the opposition, causing Khan to lose his National Assembly majority.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="aj180322">Template:Cite news</ref>

On 27 March, Khan showed the cipher at a rally, alleging foreign interference and US involvement in his removal.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The National Security Council (NSC) also expressed concerns about foreign interference.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 3 April 2022, President Arif Alvi, acting on Khan's advice, dissolved the National Assembly after the Deputy Speaker rejected the no-confidence motion. The opposition called the rejection "unconstitutional" and petitioned the Supreme Court.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 10 April, Khan sent the cipher to the Supreme Court, despite legal warnings about potential breaches of constitutional oaths and the Official Secrets Act.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Khan was ousted after a Supreme Court ruling on 10 April deemed the rejection of the no-confidence motion illegal, with the vote passing to remove him, making him the first Pakistani PM ousted by no-confidence.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Post-premiership

After his removal, Khan again alleged US involvement, stating that the US opposed his foreign policy that strengthened ties with China and Russia.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In November 2022, when asked about the alleged conspiracy to remove him, Khan said it was "behind me" and expressed his desire for Pakistan to maintain good relations with all countries, particularly the United States. He said, "The Pakistan I want to lead must have good relationships with everyone, especially the United States. Our relationship with the US has been as of a master-servant relationship, or a master-slave relationship, and we've been used like a hired gun. But for that I blame my own governments more than the US."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Misogynistic remark

In a 2022 speech, Khan referenced a clip of Maryam Nawaz repeatedly mentioning him. He said: "Someone sent me a clip on social media of Maryam's speech…she took my name so many times and with so much passion…Maryam, please be careful, your husband might get upset." His remarks followed her repeated tirades against him and Bushra Bibi.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan condemned Khan's remarks, saying they "plumbed the depths of misogyny" and demanded an apology to Maryam and all women.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

2022 Toshakhana reference case

Template:Further The First Shehbaz Sharif government filed the Toshakhana case against Khan in August 2022, alleging he failed to disclose official gifts and their sale proceeds to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and did not declare the proceeds for tax purposes.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Khan reportedly retained 58 gifts, 14 valued over Rs 14,000 each. On 8 September, he rejected the allegations and asked the ECP to dismiss the case, saying all purchases were lawfully declared in his tax returns and wealth statements. Hearings were delayed as his legal team sought extensions.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On 21 October 2022, the ECP disqualified Khan under Article 63(1)(p) of the Constitution, ruling he submitted a false statement and incorrect asset declaration for 2020–21. A four-member bench unanimously found he had misled officials about Toshakhana gifts and ordered criminal proceedings under the Election Act, 2017.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Assassination attempt

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Khan speaking to media at Shaukat Khanum hospital after treatment

On 3 November 2022, Khan was shot in the leg in an assassination attempt in Wazirabad while leading a march to Islamabad demanding early elections.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> One of his supporters died in the attack.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The alleged perpetrator, Muhammad Naveed, was overpowered by a supporter of Khan, throwing off his aim.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Naveed said he acted alone, targeting Khan because he believed Khan was misleading the people.<ref name="Saeed">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Khan blamed the incumbent government—Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, and Major General Faisal Naseer—for the assassination plot but provided no evidence. Government and military officials denied involvement. Federal Information Minister Maryam Aurangzeb questioned how Khan could demand resignations before any investigation. The Inter-Services Public Relations called the allegations baseless and irresponsible. Sanaullah also rejected them as grievous.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Arrests and imprisonment

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Imran Khan provides his perspective on the May 9 riots in July 2023.

Following an arrest warrant from the district and sessions court in Islamabad, the Islamabad Police and Lahore Police moved to arrest Khan on 14 March 2023.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 9 May, paramilitary forces stormed into the Islamabad High Court and arrested Khan in connection with the 190 million pound case.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The case alleges that Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, received land worth billions from Malik Riaz in exchange for a deal that caused the national exchequer to lose Rs50 billion (£190 million).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The funds, recovered by the UK's National Crime Agency, were meant for the national treasury but were used to pay fines on Riaz for acquiring government land below market rates. The couple, sole trustees of the Al-Qadir Trust, are accused of benefiting, including acquiring 458 kanals for Al-Qadir University in Jhelum.<ref name="fp">Template:Cite news</ref>

His arrest triggered the May 9 riots, with PTI supporters allegedly attacking military and government installations.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) declared the arrest illegal, citing the violation of judicial sanctity by paramilitary forces.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 12 May, Khan received protective bail, which barred re-arrest on the same charges for two weeks.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On 5 August 2023, Khan was arrested again and sentenced to three years after being found guilty of misusing his premiership to buy and sell state gifts received abroad, valued over 140 million rupees.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 29 August 2023, an appeals court suspended Khan's corruption conviction and prison term, granting him bail.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A special court ordered that he remain in jail in the cypher case,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> in which he was accused of leaking state secrets and violating the Official Secrets Act.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Since then, Khan has been held in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, where the special court conducts his trial.<ref name="BBC-68138591" />

In August 2023, following the Supreme Court's order on Khan's complaint regarding detention conditions, the government reported that his meals included bread, omelette, curd, tea, fruits, vegetables, pulses, rice, and desi mutton cooked in ghee, and that his cell was cleaned daily.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On 30 January 2024, Khan was convicted in the cypher case and sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment.<ref name="BBC-68138591" /> Khan said the charges were politically motivated.<ref name="BBC-68138591">Template:Cite news</ref> The next day, Khan was convicted and sentenced to 14 years in the Toshakhana case for unlawfully selling state gifts received by him and his wife, Bushra Bibi, as prime minister.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The sentence was suspended on 1 April, pending a court decision after Eid.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 3 February, Khan and his wife were sentenced to seven years and fined 500,000 rupees each in a criminal case over allegations that Bushra had not completed her Iddat before marrying Khan in 2018.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On 8 February, a PTI official said Khan was allowed to vote by postal ballot from prison in the 2024 Pakistani general election.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On 30 May 2024, Khan told the Supreme Court he was in solitary confinement with restricted meetings with lawyers and family. In June, the government reported that his cell had a walking area, cooler, television, exercise equipment, and a separate kitchen, and that he could meet his legal team and family. It submitted photos of the cell and a meeting with his lawyers.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On 3 June 2024, the Islamabad High Court overturned Khan's cipher case conviction. He remained in prison due to other convictions and pending charges.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 13 July, Khan's marriage case conviction was overturned, but he remained in prison after bail was cancelled in a separate May 9 riots case.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In June 2024, a United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention called for Khan's release, saying his detention was arbitrary and politically motivated.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In a July interview with The Sunday Times from prison, Khan said he is held in a small "death cell" usually reserved for terrorists.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In September 2024, Amnesty International said it had "noted a pattern of weaponisation of the legal system to keep Khan detained and away from political activity" and called for his immediate release.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> In October 2024, authorities said Khan undergoes a medical examination every two weeks and no health issues have been observed.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On 8 October 2024, Pakistani police charged Khan with attempted murder over a police officer's death during his supporters' protests in Islamabad.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On 22 November 2024, the IHC granted Khan bail in the Toshakhana case, but he remained in jail due to other cases.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 24 November, Khan's supporters attempted nationwide protests demanding his release.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Since the 2022 no-confidence vote, Khan has been named in 186 legal cases across Pakistan, as reported in December 2024.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On 17 January 2025, Khan was sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment by an accountability court in the Al-Qadir Trust case, while Bushra received a seven-year jail term.<ref name="fp"/>

On 21 August 2025, the SCP granted Khan bail in eight 9 May riot cases; however, he remained jailed due to his Al-Qadir Trust case sentence.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Views regarding imprisonment

Khan says his imprisonment is politically motivated, alleging involvement by the Pakistan Armed Forces (the Establishment) and Shehbaz Sharif's government.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Both the military and government denied the allegations; the military called them "fabricated and malicious" while Sharif termed them "blatant lies".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In June 2024, appearing before the Supreme Court via video from jail, Khan said Pakistan is under "undeclared martial law".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In August 2024, Khan said the ISI controls all matters of his imprisonment and has made his jail conditions harsher.<ref name="DH">Template:Cite news</ref>

University of Oxford Chancellor candidacy

Template:Further information In August 2024, Zulfi Bukhari said he submitted an application for Khan to contest the University of Oxford Chancellor election.<ref name="voa">Template:Cite web</ref> On 16 October 2024, university officials disqualified him from the race based on established exclusion criteria, accepting 38 of over 40 applicants.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Hindu">Template:Cite news</ref> They cited Khan's prior conviction and active political role, inconsistent with the position's requirements.<ref name="Hindu"/>

Wealth and assets

In his 2003 statement to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), Khan declared his home in Zaman Park, Lahore, an Islamabad apartment, 39 kanalsTemplate:Efn in Islamabad, 530 kanalsTemplate:Efn in Khanewal, and a share in 363 kanalsTemplate:Efn of inherited agricultural land.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In a 2011 Financial Times interview, Khan said he bought a penthouse in South Kensington in 1983 for £110,000 and sold it in 2003 to buy land in Islamabad.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2017, the ECP reported that Khan's 300-kanal Bani Gala residence in Islamabad was valued at Template:PKRConvert, with other assets including furniture worth Template:PKRConvert and livestock.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2020, the ECP reported that Khan declared assets worth Rs80.6 million, including a six-kanal plot in Mohra Noori (Rs0.5 million) and five inherited plots in Mianwali, Bhakkar, Sheikhupura, and Khanewal. He sold property in Ferozewala for Rs70 million and bought two Shahrah-e-Dastoor apartments for Rs10.19 million. Khan held Rs50.66 million in a bank account, Rs10.99 million in cash, and four foreign currency accounts with £518, $328,760, $1,470, and an empty euro account. He also declared four goats worth Rs200,000.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In his 2024 Pakistani general election nomination papers, Khan declared over Rs90 million in bank accounts, more than $300,000 in a foreign currency account, and over a dozen properties, mostly inherited, including agricultural land and his Zaman Park residence. He paid Rs11.97 million for a Shahrah-e-Dastoor apartment and declared Rs11.47 million for his Bani Gala residence. He reported owning no vehicle.<ref name="Assets2024">Template:Cite news</ref>

Taxes

The News International reported that Khan paid nearly Rs4.7 million in taxes between 1981 and 2017, with exemptions in several years.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In January 2022, the FBR's 2019 tax directory said that Khan paid Rs9.8 million in taxes that year.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2022, his income rose to Rs185.68 million due to the sale of a watch gifted by a foreign dignitary; the year before, it was just over Rs7 million.<ref name="Assets2024"/> For the fiscal year ending 30 June 2023, Khan paid Rs15.59 million in taxes, while his net worth reached Rs315.95 million.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Political positions

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Khan speaking at the Chatham House in London, 2012.

In November 1999, Khan condemned the UN for failing to halt Russian "atrocities" in Chechnya.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

After the 2003 invasion of Iraq began, Khan participated in a protest in Hyde Park, London, saying: "The fear is that this is not going to be the last war; first it was Afghanistan, now it's Iraq, and if the hawks in Washington have their way, then it's going to be some other country very soon."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

A January 2010 leaked US diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks revealed that US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne W. Patterson met Khan at his residence, where he criticised the US for its "dangerous" policies, including drone operations.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2011, Khan became the first Pakistani dignitary to demand an official apology from the Government of Pakistan to the people of Bangladesh for the Pakistan Army's atrocities during the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. He said he had initially supported the operation due to Pakistan's lack of independent media but later learned the truth from Bengali friends in England, adding that Pakistan must learn from past mistakes and not repeat them in Balochistan or the tribal areas.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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Prime Minister Khan's message on the 25th Memorial Day of the Srebrenica Genocide, 2020

Khan has described himself as a pacifist and anti-war and has opposed military interventions, especially in Afghanistan, criticising Pakistan's role in the U.S.-led war on terror.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Khan has opposed the Iraq War, Russian Invasion of Ukraine,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Gaza genocide, and Israeli invasion of Lebanon.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2013, Khan proposed secret talks between India and Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir issue, saying open negotiations risk being subverted by vested interests on both sides.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2014, when the Pakistani Taliban announced armed struggle against Ismailis and the Kalash people, Khan described "forced conversions as un-Islamic."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He also condemned the forced conversion of Hindu girls in Sindh.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Public image

In the 1970s and 1980s, Khan attracted media attention for his looks and charm.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In the 1980s, he sported a "playboy" image in the British press for his exploits on the London party circuit, though he said he never drank alcohol.<ref name="WP profile" /> In the early 1990s, the British media called him the Sexiest Man Alive.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> He was known to millions of cricket fans as the Lion of Lahore.<ref name="it170217">Template:Cite news</ref>

In 1996, The Wall Street Journal said he used populist rhetoric, blending anti-elite messages with religious appeals. His criticism of Westernised Pakistani elites contrasted with his privileged background and Western jet-set ties.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> He said of his past: "I have never claimed to be an angel. I am a humble sinner."<ref name="2006 profile"/> In a 2006 interview, Peter Lloyd described Khan's transformation as a "playboy to puritan U-turn," leaving many scratching their heads in wonder.<ref name="foreign correspondent feature">Template:Cite web</ref> In 2007, Der Spiegel compared Khan to Franz Beckenbauer for his popularity and influence in Pakistan.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2018, Reuters described Khan as a Pakistani cricket icon and former London playboy who had "transformed himself into a pious, firebrand nationalist".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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Imran Khan signs autographs for supporters, 2009

In June 2011, a Pew Research Center poll showed Khan with a 68 percent approval rating, higher than Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani's 37 percent and President Asif Ali Zardari's 11 percent. That year, The Washington Post described him as an underdog, saying he "often sounds like a pro-democracy liberal but is well known for his coziness with conservative Islamist parties." H. M. Naqvi called Khan a "sort of a Ron Paul figure," noting "there is no taint of corruption and there is his anti-establishment message."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

His perceived sympathy for the Taliban and criticism of the US-led war on terror led critics to label him "Taliban Khan." Khan said, "I've been called Taliban Khan for supporting the tribal Pashtuns and I've been called part of a Jewish conspiracy to take over Pakistan. I am of course neither."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In 2012, Pankaj Mishra, writing for The New York Times, characterised Khan as a "cogent picture out of his—and Pakistan's—clashing identities," adding that "his identification with the suffering masses and his attacks on his affluent, English-speaking peers have long been mocked in the living rooms of Lahore and Karachi as the hypocritical ravings of 'Im the Dim' and 'Taliban Khan'—the two favoured monikers for him." Mishra concluded, "like all populist politicians, Khan appears to offer something to everyone. Yet the great differences between his constituencies—socially liberal, upper-middle-class Pakistanis and the deeply conservative residents of Pakistan's tribal areas—seem irreconcilable."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

After the 2013 Pakistani general election, Mohammed Hanif, writing for The Guardian, said that while Khan appealed to the educated middle class, Pakistan's main problem was that it did not have enough educated urban middle-class citizens.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

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Khan addressing an Interfaith Christmas Dinner in 2014

An August 2018 Gallup Pakistan survey found 52% of Pakistanis believed Khan's tenure as Prime Minister would be better than the previous government.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In a 2019 International Republican Institute (IRI) poll, 40% of respondents rated Khan's performance "good" and 17% "very good."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A 2021 Ipsos Pakistan survey found 55% of respondents said the Khan government was worse than they expected.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In a 2022 Gallup Pakistan poll, 48% of respondents had a negative view of Khan's performance, while 36% held a favourable opinion.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Another Gallup Pakistan survey, conducted after Khan's vote-of-no confidence, found 57% of respondents were happy about his removal from office, while 43% were angry.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> A March 2023 Gallup Pakistan survey, conducted after the end of his premiership, found 61% of Pakistanis held a good opinion of Khan.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Khan's arrest and imprisonment in August 2023 angered many in Indian-administered Kashmir.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Relationship with the military

Template:See also Several news reports and scholarly works have described Khan's political career as marked by a perceived closeness to Pakistan's military establishment. According to Christopher Clary, Assistant Professor of Political Science at the State University of New York-Albany, Khan entered politics in the mid-1990s in open alliance with former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Hamid Gul.Template:Sfn In 2012, author Fatima Bhutto criticised Khan for "incredible coziness not with the military but with dictatorship," citing his favourable remarks about Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq and support for Pervez Musharraf's 2002 referendum.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

He was also close to former ISI chief Ahmed Shuja Pasha. Clary said that during the 2014 Tsunami March and sit-in, there were widespread allegations of involvement by then ISI chief Zaheer-ul-Islam.Template:Sfn Historian Ian Talbot wrote that Khan's role in the 2014 protests was contentious. Talbot stated that Khan "denied that he was a military cat’s paw", which he said conflicted with former PTI president Javed Hashmi's claim that the protests were inspired by Pasha. Talbot said that Khan's actions, "if not sinister, were reckless", threatening hopes of rebalancing civil–military relations in Pakistan.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn He stated that these actions strengthened military authority over civilian power,Template:Sfn and that "the army rather than the democratic forces had clearly emerged as a winner in the political crisis that some believed it had secretly orchestrated".Template:Sfn

According to Mohammad Waseem, Professor of Political Science at the Lahore University of Management Sciences, Khan's populist rise was enabled by the military establishment, which sought to counter the PPP and PML(N). He said Khan was cultivated by the establishment as an alternative force, with the PTI functioning as a "shadow" Muslim League to attract electables before the 2018 election. Waseem said that Khan appealed to middle-class demands to end dynastic politics and came to power not through mass mobilisation, but military support. He added that Khan was portrayed at home and abroad as the military's preferred candidate, fuelling opposition claims that he was "selected" rather than elected.Template:Sfn

US diplomat Theodore Craig, in Pakistan and American Diplomacy, wrote that after the 2018 elections the United States avoided pushing for an "unblemished election" or rejecting "antidemocratic manipulations", saying that challenging "the military's Imran Khan project" would not have changed the government but could have jeopardised prospects for progress in Afghanistan.Template:Sfn

In 2024, The New York Times wrote that Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed, a former ISI chief, was an ally of Khan.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2024, Arab News wrote that Khan was widely believed to have risen to power in 2018 with military backing.<ref name="ArabNewsFaiz2024">Template:Cite news</ref>  Arab News said that after Khan's 2022 ouster, Hameed was widely believed to have advised him as PTI openly criticised the army and its senior leadership. Since then, Khan has campaigned against the military, blaming it for failing to stop the no-confidence motion that removed him.<ref name="ArabNewsFaiz2024"/>

Ashok Swain, Professor of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University, Sweden, wrote that Khan's challenges and accusations against the military are unique in Pakistan's history. Swain said Khan became the military's strongest critic, with potential to reform its historically unchecked power. His approach has divided allies and the military but, according to Swain, "mobilised a new generation of politically aware Pakistanis, including women and youth who previously shunned politics".<ref name="scroll041224">Template:Cite web</ref>

In popular culture

During his cricketing days, Khan appeared in commercials for Pepsi Pakistan, Brooke Bond tea, Thums Up, and the Indian soap Cinthol.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Dev Anand offered Khan a role in his 1990 Bollywood sports action-thriller Awwal Number as a declining cricket star, but Khan refused, citing his lack of acting skills.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2014, Canadian rock band Nickelback released the politically themed single "Edge of a Revolution", featuring a brief clip of a PTI rally with party flags and a poster of Khan.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Chacha Nooruddin, known as Captain Chappal,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> gifted a pair of specially crafted Peshawari chappals to Khan for his 2015 wedding. The double-soled design had existed for years,<ref name="dawn2015">Template:Cite news</ref> but the traditional Peshawari chappal became iconic as Khan's preferred footwear.<ref name="ArabNews">Template:Cite news</ref>

Authorship

In the late 1980s, Khan served as editor of The Cricketer, a London-based cricket magazine.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Khan has written opinion pieces for Outlook,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The Guardian,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and the BBC.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Khan's 2011 autobiography, Pakistan: A Personal History, recounts his shift from cricket to politics and challenges in philanthropy.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2021, Khan penned a CNN op-ed advocating conservation and restoration of damaged natural ecosystems.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Khan's publications include:

• West and East (Macmillan, 1975)
• Imran: The Autobiography of Imran Khan (Pelham, 1983)
• Imran Khan's Cricket Skills (Hamlyn, 1989)
• Indus Journey: A Personal View of Pakistan (Chatto & Windus, 1991)
• All Round View (Mandarin, 1992)
• Warrior Race: A Journey Through the Land of the Tribal Pathans (Chatto & Windus, 1993)
• Pakistan: A Personal History (Bantam Press, 2011)
• Main Aur Mera Pakistan (Orient, 2014)

See also

• Electoral history of Imran Khan
• Goldsmith family
• Pets of Imran Khan
• List of international cricket five-wicket hauls by Imran Khan
• List of sportsperson-politicians
• List of international prime ministerial trips made by Imran Khan
• 2011 Minar-e-Pakistan PTI Jalsa

References

Citations

<references> <ref name="Hutchins-Midgley-2015">Template:Harvtxt "White had begun her affair with Imran in 1986, shortly after he had finished with Emma Sergeant. Their relationship ended after two years when he wrote her a note saying, 'I cannot love you as Emma will always be the love of mv life. But White became pregnant when they slept together for one last time in 1991 and she gave birth to a daughter, Tyrian."</ref>

<ref name="Morgan-2012">Template:Harvtxt "We'd heard from our usual inside source that the Sunday Mirror were breaking a story about Imran Khan fathering a lovechild by Sita White, daughter of the business tycoon Lord White. The picture desk sent a photographer straight to her home in Los Angeles, and when she opened the door he was able to take one quick shot inside. On closer examination of his picture he spotted a framed photo on the table in her hallway – with Sita and the lovechild who bears a striking resemblance to his father."</ref>

<ref name="Oborne-2015">Template:Harvtxt "At this stage, the Burki family connection came to the rescue....."One of the participants suggested a form of treatment which was still at an experimental stage, whereby the healing process was hastened by means of electrical cycles passed through the leg." The treatment was very expensive, and needed doing in London, but General Zia guaranteed that the government would supply the money. So in the spring of 1984, Imran travelled to the Cromwell Hospital in London for a six-month course of treatment, during which his leg was put in a cast. Neither he, nor anyone else, knew whether he would play cricket again...."I had the choice of continuing as captain following that series, but decided against it. I did so because Imran didn't give me his full co-operation in that [Sri Lanka] series, and it was a great disappointment to me.""</ref> </references>

Bibliography

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Further reading

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External links

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• Column archive at The Guardian
• Imran Khan's journey from cricketing Playboy to Politician – Journeyman Pictures
• 1990s Interview, Cricketer Imran Khan at Home – thekinolibrary
• Portrait of Imran Khan by Emma Sergeant
• Template:Cite news