Imran Khan was born in Lahore on October 5th, 1952, to an affluent Pashtun family. His mother was by the name Shaukat Khanum and his father Ikramullah Khan Niazi, was a civil engineer. His maternal family is an ethnic Pashtun group of Burki. Whereas the paternal side holds a prominent place in the Niazi community.
They spent quite some time in Mianwali, before settling in Lahore. Coming from a well-off family, Khan was schooled at elite institutions. Aitchison College in Lahore and then the Royal Grammar School Worcester in England. Joining Keble College Oxford in 1972, he graduated in the year 1976 having studied Politics, Economics, and Philosophy.
Cricket Career
Imran Khan belonged to a family with several accomplished cricket players such as Javed Burki and Majid Khan, his maternal cousins who both served as captains to the Pakistan National Team.
He began playing cricket at the age of 13 and continued it while in the United Kingdom too. The first match he played for the national team was in 1971 at the age of 18 but did not take up a formal place until he graduated in 1976. He had already set a benchmark in being an exceptional all-rounder.
1992 Cricket WorldCup
In the 10 year captaincy, Imran Khan played 48 Test Matches out of which 14 were won by Pakistan. Similarly, he played 139 ODIs, winning 77. The best of his bowling career was that against Sri Lanka in 1982 where he took 8 wickets for 58 runs.
He managed to remarkably bring Pakistan to success in the 1992 Cricket World Cup, proving to be its one and only victory in that series. It was after this that Imran Khan discharged himself from international cricket only to be persuaded by the then Premier of Pakistan General Zia-ul-Haq to return to the captaincy. Not long after his return, Pakistan won against West Indies to which Khan described as, ‘the last time I truly bowled fine.’ He retired as one of the greatest players in the history of world cricket, also having his name engraved in the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in the year 2010.
Not long after his return, Pakistan won against West Indies to which Khan described as, ‘the last time I truly bowled fine.’ He retired as one of the greatest players in the history of world cricket, also having his name engraved in the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in the year 2010.
Philanthropic Journey of Imran Khan
After the 1992 cricket retirement, Imran Khan as a philanthropist remained in the eyes of the public. His good looks, athletic talent, and regular appearances at London nightclubs made him food to the British press. Later a religious awakening and touching of Sufi mysticism, made him shed his earlier image. In 1991, he began a specialized fundraising campaign for a Cancer Hospital in Lahore.
In the loving memory of his mother, who died prey to the same disease in 1985. An Amount of$25 million was gathered and a hospital was set up in 1994. Later, another in Peshawar in the year 2015. Both were named as Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital. He worked as the leader of Bradford University from 2005 up till 2014. He received a nominal partnership by the Royal College of Physicians in 2012. Imran remained an active humanitarian throughout.
2013 Elections
The 2013 national elections were carried out on 11 May 2013 and yet managed to bring about a huge bulk of Pakistan Muslim League votes, with PTI winning 30 governmental seats. In late 2016 Imran Khan organized a new set of protests but called them off last minute when the Supreme Court agreed to open up an investigation as a result of the Panama Papers.
The results forced Nawaz Sharif to resign from office in 2017. Elections were held yet again in 2018 in which Imran Khan ran a campaign promising to fight poverty and corruption in the country. His party won a multitude of seats in the National Assembly, allowing Imran Khan to seek a coalition with the independent members of the parliament. Hence on August 18th, 2018, Imran Khan rose as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan.
When in power, Imran Khan faced a heap of balance-of-payments issues. Particularly because of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the economy was experiencing growth in both imports and debts.
Premiership
Imran Khan as the Prime Minister continued to seek foreign aid from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). China, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates provided Pakistan with adequate funds. In efforts to bring the country’s economy at a stable point. Apart from this, Imran Khan stepped forward in improving various foreign relations. Meanwhile, successfully bringing the Taliban to negotiate with the United States.
The relations with India have remained unstable throughout, especially due to happenings in Kashmir. Imran Khan has been trying the best he can to raise the issue on both national and international platforms. Facing both criticism and appraise, Imran Khan has managed to, to an extent pull the country out of the crisis. For the sportsman spirit of his, remains. Imran Khan has always been the personality a lot of youngsters look up to.
His charm and aura have always proved to be beneficial for Pakistan making him one of the only Prime Ministers who have had good relations with the Pakistan Army.
