Imran Khan

Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi is a Pakistani politician, former cricketer, and philanthropist. He served as the 19th prime minister of Pakistan from August 2018 until April 2022. As the founder of the political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), he led the organization as chairman from 1996 to 2023.

Early life and education

Khan was born in Lahore on 5 October 1952. He is the only son of Shaukat Khanum and Ikramullah Khan Niazi, a civil engineer. His paternal lineage belongs to the Pathan Niazi tribe, while his maternal family hails from the Burki community. This group lived near Jalandhar for centuries before they migrated to Pakistan following the 1947 Independence.

He attended both Cathedral School and Aitchison College in Lahore. In September 1971, he moved to England to attend the Royal Grammar School Worcester. After Cambridge University rejected his application in 1972, he enrolled at Keble College, Oxford. He studied philosophy, politics and economics there before graduating in 1975.

Career

His international cricket career began during a 1971 Test series against England. Khan captained the Pakistan national team to victory in the 1992 Cricket World Cup. During his leadership, he advocated for the use of neutral umpires. He led Pakistan to its first Test series wins in both England and India during 1987.

The cricketer achieved the rare all-rounder's triple by scoring 3,000 runs and taking 300 Test wickets. He holds the world record for the most wickets taken as a captain in Test cricket. He also possesses the second-best bowling figures recorded in an innings. Khan won the most Player of the Series awards for Pakistan in Test history and ranks fourth in the overall history of the format.

After retiring from sports, he founded the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre. This institution serves as Pakistan's first cancer hospital. His political journey included becoming a member of the National Assembly in 2002. In the 2018 general election, he became the first person in Pakistan's history to win all five constituencies he contested.

He served as prime minister within a PTI-led coalition government. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he initiated the largest welfare programme in Pakistan. In February 2022, he traveled to Moscow, making him the first Pakistani prime minister since 2002 to visit the city. He was removed from office in April 2022 through a no-confidence motion. Khan alleged that the United States was involved in his removal because of his foreign policy regarding China and Russia.

Legal challenges followed his departure from office. The Election Commission barred him for one term from the National Assembly in October 2022 due to the Toshakhana case. He survived an assassination attempt in November 2022. Following his arrest in May 2023, he was released on protective bail after the May 9 riots. He has since been sentenced to 14 years in the Al-Qadir Trust case and faces 186 cases across Pakistan as of December 2024.

Personal life

During his bachelorhood, Khan was a well-known figure in London's nightlife. He dated several women, including Emma Sergeant and Ana-Luisa White. A California court ruled him to be the father of Tyrian Jade, though he denied paternity. He also had a relationship with German MTV host Kristiane Backer, whom he introduced to Islam.

Khan married Jemima Goldsmith in 1995 and they had two sons. They divorced in 2004 because she found it difficult to adjust to life in Pakistan. He later married journalist Reham Khan in January 2015, but they divorced in October of that same year. On 18 February 2018, he married his spiritual guide, Bushra Bibi.

Awards and recognition

Khan was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2009. He has also been awarded the Pride of Performance. His honors include being a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh and being named a Wisden Cricketer of the Year.