Imran Khan: From cricketing legend to firebrand PM now languishing in jail
Imran Khan's life exemplifies dramatic highs and lows, from a celebrated cricket captain to Pakistan's Prime Minister, now jailed. His journey highlights an iconic sportsman's transformation into a political leader, whose tenure saw economic focus, but ended amidst controversy, legal battles, and a significant political downfall, leaving Pakistan's political landscape turbulent.
New Delhi: Imran Khan's life epitomises transformation and turbulence. His soaring success and scathing setbacks speak volumes about the unpredictability of life and its vicissitudes. From being a charismatic and iconic cricketer to being one of the most loved leaders and then forced to languish in jail, Khan's journey has been chequered and dramatic.
It was last year that Khan, the former Pakistani Prime Minister, was handed a 10-year sentence under the Official Secrets Act and barred from contesting elections. However, before his ouster in 2022, he had already reshaped Pakistan’s political landscape to quite an extent. He shifted the country's focus towards economic development.
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He had been fighting a number of cases and was sentenced to three years in jail in a corruption case in August last year. Earlier, he was briefly arrested in May that year, which sparked unrest across the country. In June 2024, he told a news agency that the military and its intelligence agency were attempting to dismantle his political party. Even though he has not been in power for months now, his popularity among his supporters remains untouched
Rise and fall of Khan
Born in 1952, Khan graduated from the University of Oxford, where he pursued Philosophy, Politics and Economics. His cricket career saw a major boost in the late 1970s. He led Pakistan to its first-ever Test series wins in both India and England in 1987. He was considered one of the best all-rounders in the world -- with his bowling and batting talent earning him global appreciation. He still holds the world record for the most wickets as a captain in Test cricket.
Khan led Pakistan to its only World Cup win in 1992. He captivated the nation with his vision of a corruption-free, prosperous Pakistan that would earn acclaim on the global stage. Khan formed the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI). However, only after almost two decades of launching PTI did he rise to power, winning the election in 2018, and scripting history by winning from all the five constituencies that he contested from.
During his tenure, he launched Pakistan's largest welfare programme and also spoke against Islamophobia in the western world. In April 2022, he became the first Pakistani prime minister to be ousted through a no-confidence motion. Khan reportedly had a fallout with the then-army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, which reportedly led to his removal from office, eventually. Khan lost power amid growing public anger over soaring inflation and fiscal deficits, while corruption — the very issue he had pledged to root out — continued abated. The 71-year-old was put behind bars in alleged corruption cases and is currently, lodged in a jail in Rawalpindi.
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