PROFILE - Imran Khan, Pakistan's another 'disqualified' premier

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) – Pakistan's top election body on Friday disqualified former Prime Minister Imran Khan for allegedly selling gifts he received from foreign dignitaries, igniting another political turmoil in the South Asian nuclear country.

After finding him guilty of "corrupt practice" for not showing the amounts he received from selling out the gifts in his financial declaration, the Election Commission of Pakistan disqualified the popular cricketer-turned-politician for a five-year term.

It means Khan will be ineligible to run in the next general election, which will be held in October of next year.

Imran Khan was deposed as prime minister in April after a no-confidence motion was passed in parliament.

He blames his unceremonious ouster on a US-backed conspiracy, an allegation that Islamabad and Washington have repeatedly refuted.

- Truncated power career

Many believe Khan's disqualification will aggravate the ongoing political deadlock caused by his removal from the Prime Minister's office.

Khan, who became the country's 19th prime minister in August 2018, ruled for just over three and a half years.

He is the country's third premier who has been disqualified as a lawmaker, following three-time premier Nawaz Sharif and Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani.

His center-right Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party promised a "Naya," or new Pakistan, promising to fight corruption, strengthen the crippling economy, and pursue an independent foreign policy.

However, critics say he failed to keep his promises, and the opposition gained momentum to bring down his government.

His ouster, nonetheless, turned out to be a tonic for his dwindling popularity due to a poor state of economy and governance.

His party has emerged victorious in the two latest by-elections, with Khan himself clinching six National Assembly seats in earlier this week's by-polls.

Born in the northeastern city of Lahore in 1952, he won Pakistan's only ODI cricket World Cup in 1992, helping him emerge as a hero of the country's young generation.

- Cricket life

Latest surveys and by-elections suggest that a large number of Pakistanis still see him as a savior of the common man in the roles of a cricketer, philanthropist, and politician.

Khan grew up in an upper-middle-class family in Lahore's Zaman Park neighborhood and is one of the few Pakistani politicians with an impressive educational background in addition to his top-notch cricket career.

When he began playing first-class cricket at the age of 16, he was still a student at Aitchison College, the alma mater of several top bureaucrats and politicians.

When he turned 18, he was sent to the Royal Grammar School in High Wycombe, England, and later to Oxford University to study political science, philosophy, and economics.

During his stay in England, he began playing county cricket, apart from representing Pakistan in international cricket.

He starred in five World Cups in 1975, 1979, 1983, 1987 and 1992.

- Philanthropy

After retirement from cricket in 1992, he dedicated his life to philanthropy.

Khan set out on a journey to raise funds for the country's first cutting-edge cancer hospital, which he named after his mother, Shaukat Khanum, who had died of cancer in Lahore.

He also established the Namal Institute, a private academic institution in his home constituency Mianwali, in 2008, with the support of the local community and generous donors.

- Political career

Khan entered politics four years after receiving a warm welcome across the country upon his arrival after winning the cricket World Cup in 1992.

He founded the PTI in 1996, but it was not until 2011 that his message resonated with the public. He held a mammoth public rally in Lahore that stunned political commentators and rang alarm bells for the opposition.

In the 2013 elections, Khan appeared to have an impressive appeal to the youth, who account for around 60% of the country's total population.

He gave a tough time to two mainstream political parties – the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan People’s Party – which had alternately ruled the country before he rose to power.

His party emerged as the largest party in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and formed a coalition government with a religiopolitical party, Jamaat-e-Islami, in 2013.

In the July 2018 elections, his party won the most seats and formed governments in the center, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces.

- Personal life

Khan married thrice, two of which ended in divorce.

In 1995, he married English socialite Jemima Goldsmith, and they have two sons, Sulaiman Khan and Qasim Khan. They divorced in 2004.

Eleven years later, he married news anchor Reham Khan, a relationship that lasted only 10 months.

In recent years, Khan has tilted toward Sufism, making frequent visits to shrines and faith healers to seek blessings for his political journey.

And this led him to marry Bushra Manika in 2018.