Imran Khan likely to be Pakistan's next PM: Everything you need to know about the cricketer-turned-politician

Imran Khan likely to be Pakistan's next PM: Everything you need to know about the cricketer-turned-politician

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party chief Imran Khan is heading towards victory to become the prime minister of Pakistan. The country is set to see the only civilian transfer of power in its 71-year history. The counting of votes is still underway in Pakistan for electing the new government in the country. 

Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was leading on as many as 114 parliamentary seats on Thursday morning while its main rival Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was ahead on 63 seats, according to ARY News.

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) of former president Asif Ali Zardari was leading on 41 seats, a sign indicating that he could play a ‘kingmaker’ in case of a hung parliament, according to media reports.

The high-voltage campaign in Pakistan was marred by violence, including an IS-claimed attack on July 13 that killed nearly 150 people. Political controversies over the arrest of convicted prime minister Nawaz Sharif, too continued to dominate the elections. Not one Pakistani prime minister has completed his term yet. 

Pakistan’s National Assembly comprises a total of 342 members, of which 272 are directly elected whereas the rest - 60 seats reserved for women and 10 for religious minorities - are selected later through proportional representation among parties with more than five per cent of the vote.

A party can only form the government if it manages to clinch 172 seats in total. 

Who is Imran Khan, likely to be next Pakistan PM

Imran Khan, born and raised in an affluent ethnic Pashtun family in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore, currently holds the position of the chief of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party. 

The 65-year-old leader was schooled at Lahore's elite all-boys Aitchison College, while he graduated from Oxford University in 1975 with a Bachelor's degree in philosophy, politics and economics.

In 1992, 'Captain' Khan led Pakistan to its first and only victory at the 1992 World Cup in Australia. Later when Khan decided to retire from the game, he devoted his time majorly to philanthropy and social work.

Imran Khan launched Pakistan's first specialised cancer centre, Shaukat Khanum, named after his late mother who passed away due to the disease.

Khan, later in 2008, also established a private technical college in Punjab's rural Mianwali district, called Namal College.

In 1996, Khan made his foray into politics, founding his centrist PTI party with a promise of ensuring "insaf" (justice) for all.

While being at the helm in the party, Khan won his first seat in the National Assembly during the 2002 general elections. Khan had contested from his paternal ancestral hometown of Mianwali, Punjab.

Later on, after a provincial victory in the 2013 general elections, PTI governed the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province for five years.

Khan has long been a critic of the now-convicted former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif. 

Imran Khan led protests against Sharif in 2014, demanding that the government led by Sharif's ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), resign over alleged poll-rigging.

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