Imran Khan tasted political success in 2002 when he won a seat in Pakistan's national assembly. Reuters
An all-rounder who led Pakistan to the zenith of world cricket, a politician who came to power riding on the promise of cleaning the system and a Prime Minister who now faces a no-trust vote - Imran Khan has always lived under the spotlight.
Here is a 10-point profile of the cricketer-turned-politician:
- Imran Khan's government is in danger after a key ally struck a deal with the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party. Pakistan's National Assembly has a strength of 342 members, with the majority mark being 172. Khan's party has the support of 164 members and the Opposition now has 177. A no trust vote is due today.
- Born in Lahore on November 25, 1952, Khan went to the elite Aitchison College and then to Royal Grammar School in England's Worcester and Keble College, Oxford. From early on, he excelled at cricket, making his first-class debut at 16.
- Khan was selected for the Pakistan national team in 1970 and in the decade that followed, he rose to become a world-class all-rounder. He was named captain of the team in 1981 and led Pakistan to its first and only World Cup victory in 1992.
- After retiring from cricket, Khan opened the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust Cancer Hospital in memory of his mother who had died from the disease. The hospital is globally acclaimed as a centre of free cancer treatment.
- Khan founded the Tehrik-e-Insaaf - meaning "Movement for Justice" - in 1996. In its initial years, the party failed to perform well in elections, with Khan losing his first parliamentary election in 1997.
- He tasted political success in 2002 when he won a seat in the Pakistan national assembly. He resigned in 2007 with over 80 other members to protest Pervez Musharraf's re-election as Pakistan president while still army chief.
- On the personal front, Khan married Jemima Goldsmith, daughter of billionaire Sir James Goldsmith. The couple, who have two sons, divorced in 2004. His second marriage to TV journalist Reham Nayyar Khan was also brief. He married Bushra Bibi, a spiritual leader, in 2018.
- Khan's party emerged as a formidable force in the 2013 Pakistan election. In the next election in 2018, it went on to win 116 seats and stitched a ruling coalition with support from smaller parties. Khan was sworn in as Prime Minister of Pakistan on August 18, 2018.
- Once in power, Khan embarked on building a "welfare" state. His government also made several key appointments based on qualifications and not political favours.
- While the Pakistan government led by him has stressed that it wants improved relations with India, Khan's tenure has seen the bilateral ties nosedive, especially after the 2019 Pulwama terror attack that left 40 CRPF men dead.
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