Young imran khan niazi biography

Prime Minister of Pakistan from 2018 to 2022

This article is about the politician and former cricketer. For other people with the same name, see Imran Khan (disambiguation).

Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi^[a] (born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani politician and former cricketer who served as the 19th prime minister of Pakistan from August 2018 until April 2022. He is the founder and former chairman of the political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) from 1996 to 2023. He was the captain of the Pakistan national cricket team throughout the 1980s and early 1990s.

Born in Lahore, Khan graduated from Keble College, Oxford. He began his international cricket career in a 1971 Test series against England. Khan played until 1992, served as the team's captain intermittently between 1982 and 1992, and won the 1992 Cricket World Cup, Pakistan's only victory in the competition. Considered one of cricket's greatest all-rounders, Khan was later inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame.

Founding the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in 1996, Khan won a seat in the National Assembly from his hometown of Mianwali, in the 2002 general election. PTI became the second-largest party by popular vote in the 2013 election, and five years later, running on a populist platform, PTI formed a coalition government with independents with Khan as prime minister. Khan's government inherited a balance of payments crisis and sought bailouts from the IMF; he presided over GDP growth after initial contraction, implemented austerity policies and increased tax collection. His government committed to a renewable energy transition, launched the Ehsaas Programme, and the Plant for Pakistan initiative, and expanded the protected areas of Pakistan and Sehat Sahulat Program. He presided over the COVID-19 pandemic, which caused economic turmoil and rising inflation in the country. In April 2022, during a constitutional crisis following the Lettergate affair, Khan became the first Pakistani prime minister to be removed from office through a no-confidence motion.

In October that year, on account of the Toshakhana reference case, Khan was disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan from taking office for one term of the National Assembly of Pakistan. In November, he survived an assassination attempt during a political rally in Wazirabad. In May 2023, Khan was arrested on corruption charges at the Islamabad High Court by paramilitary troops. Protests broke out throughout Pakistan, some of which escalated into violent riots. Khan was sentenced to a three-year jail term in August 2023 after being found guilty of misusing his premiership to buy and sell gifts in state possession. He was subsequently sentenced to ten years in prison in early 2024 for leaking state secrets and violating the Official Secrets Act in the Lettergate affair, and an additional seven years for breaching Islamic marriage laws with his wife; both of these sentences were overturned in mid-2024. Khan has since been charged on matters related to the 2023 riots, clashes between his supporters and police in September 2024 and in the Al-Qadir Trust case in January 2025, receiving a 14-year sentence.

Early life and family

Further information: Family of Imran Khan

Khan was born in Lahore on 5 October 1952.^[4] Though some sources state he was born on 25 November 1952,^[5][6][7][8] Khan has said that this mistake stemmed from that date being written erroneously on his passport.^[9] He is the only son of Ikramullah Khan Niazi, a civil engineer, and his wife Shaukat Khanum, and has four sisters.^[10]Long settled in Mianwali in northwestern Punjab, his paternal family are of Pashtun descent and belong to the Niazi tribe,^[11][12] and one of his ancestors, Haibat Khan Niazi, in the 16th century, "was one of Sher Shah Suri's leading generals, as well as being the governor of Punjab."^[13][14] Khan's maternal family, of the Burki tribe of Pashtuns,^[15][16] has produced a number of cricketers, including those who have represented Pakistan,^[10] such as his cousins Javed Burki and Majid Khan.^[11] Maternally, Khan is also a descendant of the Sufi warrior-poet and inventor of the Pashto alphabet, Pir Roshan, who hailed from his maternal family's ancestral Kaniguram town located in South Waziristan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.^[17] His maternal family was based in Basti Danishmanda, Jalandhar in Punjab, India for about 600 years, and migrated to Lahore after the independence of Pakistan.^[18][19]

A quiet and shy boy in his youth, Khan grew up with his sisters in relatively affluent, upper middle-class circumstances^[20] and received a privileged education. He was educated at the Aitchison College and Cathedral School in Lahore,^[21][22] and then the Royal Grammar School Worcester in England, where he excelled at cricket.^[23] In 1972, he enrolled in Keble College, Oxford where he studied philosophy, politics and economics, graduating in 1975.^[24] An enthusiast for college cricket at Keble, Paul Hayes, was instrumental in securing the admission of Khan, after he had been turned down by Cambridge.^[25]

Personal life

Khan had numerous relationships during his bachelor life. He was then known as a hedonistic bachelor and a playboy who was active in London's nightlife, frequently visiting venues such as Tramp in St James's.^[27][28] Many of his girlfriends are unknown and were called "mysterious blondes" by British newspaper The Times.^[29] During the 1980s and 1990s, Khan was regarded as one of the most eligible bachelors.^[29]

His first girlfriend, Emma Sergeant, an artist and the daughter of British investor Sir Patrick Sergeant, introduced him to socialites.^[29] They first met in 1982 and subsequently visited Pakistan.^[30] She accompanied him on various Pakistani cricket team tours including tours in Peshawar and Australia.^[30] She made several artistic portraits of Khan during their relationship.^[31][32] Khan's residence in Chelsea, near Sergeant's studio and Tramp nightclub, became a central location for his social activities.^[29] After long separations, his relationship with Sergeant ended in 1986.^[29]

Jonathan Orders, a member of the MCC committee and a Wykehamist, facilitated Khan's connections between Eastern and Western social spheres.^[29] Orders introduced Khan to Susie Murray-Philipson, whom Khan later invited to Pakistan and had dinner with in 1982.^[29] He also had a brief relationship with Susannah Constantine, whom he met through Lulu Blacker.^[29] Their relationship lasted about a year without leading to marriage.^[29] Additionally, Julia Verdin and Doone Murray were among the women associated with Khan during this period, with their relationships receiving media attention.^[29]

Some of the other women with whom he was associated with during this period include Zeenat Aman,^[33] Sarah Crawley,^[29]Stephanie Beacham,^[34]Goldie Hawn,^[35]Marie Helvin,^[35]Caroline Kellett,^[36]Liza Campbell,^[11] Anastasia Cooke,^[30] and Hannah Rothschild.^[37][38] Khan stated that residing in Pakistan was a requirement for a serious relationship.^[30]

Ana-Luisa White, daughter of British industrialist Gordon White, who later adopted the name Sita, was prepared to convert to Islam.^[30] Their relationship ended when White became pregnant.^[30] Later, she claimed that Khan is the father of her daughter, Tyrian Jade, born in June 1992.^[30] White continued to keep a framed photograph of Khan despite their breakup.^[30] Tyrian became the subject of a legal dispute in 1997 when a California court declared Khan as the father without a DNA test.^[39] Khan denied paternity and called for a paternity test in Pakistan, stating he would accept the decision of the courts of Pakistan.^[40][41][42] After White's death in 2004, Jemima, Khan's wife at the time and a friend of Sita, was designated by Sita as the legal guardian of Tyrian in her will. Khan stated that Tyrian would be welcome to join their family in London, leaving the decision entirely up to her, given her established relationship with his and Jemima's sons.^[43]

In August 1992, Khan began dating Kristiane Backer, a German-born MTV host. Their relationship lasted nearly two years, during which he introduced her to Islam. After their relationship had ended, she converted to Islam following a meeting with Khan in 1995.^{[45][46][47][48]}

On 16 May 1995, Khan married Jemima Goldsmith, in a two-minute ceremony conducted in Urdu in Paris.^[27] A month later, on 21 June, they were married again in a civil ceremony at the Richmond registry office in England. Jemima converted to Islam upon marriage.^[35] The couple have two sons, Sulaiman Isa and Kasim.^[49] On 22 June 2004, it was announced that the couple had divorced, ending the nine-year marriage because it was "difficult for Jemima to adapt to life in Pakistan."^[50]

In a 2009 book, Christopher Sandford claimed that Khan and Benazir Bhutto had a close relationship when both were students in Oxford.^[51] He wrote that Bhutto at the age of 21 first became close to Khan in 1975. They remained in a relationship for about two months.^[51] His mother also tried to have an arranged marriage between them.^[51] He further claimed that they had a "romantic relationship", which was refuted by Khan who said they were only friends.^[51]

In January 2015, it was announced that Khan had married British-Pakistani journalist Reham Khan in a private Nikah ceremony at his residence in Islamabad.^[52][53] Reham Khan later states in her autobiography that they in fact got married in October 2014 but the announcement only came in January the year after. On 22 October 2015, they announced their intention to file for divorce.^[54]

In mid-2016, late 2017 and early 2018, reports emerged that Khan had married his spiritual mentor (murshid), Bushra Bibi. Khan himself,^[55][56] alongside PTI aides,^[57][58] as well as members of the Manika family,^[59][60] denied the rumour. Khan termed the media "unethical" for spreading the rumour,^[61] and PTI filed a complaint against the news channels that had aired it.^[62] On 7 January 2018, the PTI central secretariat issued a statement that said Khan had proposed to Manika, but she had not yet accepted his proposal.^[63] On 18 February 2018, PTI confirmed Khan has married Manika.^[64][65] According to Khan, his life has been influenced by Sufism for three decades, and this is what drew him closer to his wife.^[66] The Mufti who conducted the marriage later testified to a court that Khan's nikah had been conducted twice. The first nikah was conducted on 1 January 2018, while his to-be wife was still in her Iddat, as Khan believed he would become prime minister if he married her on that date.^[67]

Khan resided in his sprawling farmhouse at Bani Gala.^[68] As of 2018, he owned five pet dogs, who resided in his estate.^[69]

Cricket career

Early years

Khan made his debut at the age of 16 in Lahore. By the start of the 1970s, he was playing for his home teams of Lahore A (1969–1970), Lahore B (1969–1970), Lahore Greens (1970–1971), and eventually Lahore (1970–1971).^[70] Khan was part of the University of Oxford's Blues Cricket team during the 1973–1975 seasons.^[24] Khan played English county cricket from 1971 to 1976 for Worcestershire. During this decade, other teams represented by Khan included Dawood Industries (1975–1976) and Pakistan International Airlines (1975–1976, 1980–1981). From 1983 to 1988, he played for Sussex.^[71]

Khan made his Test cricket debut against England in June 1971 at Edgbaston. Three years later, in August 1974, he debuted in the One Day International (ODI) match, once again playing against England at Trent Bridge for the Prudential Trophy.^[72] After graduating from Oxford and finishing his tenure at Worcestershire, he returned to Pakistan in 1976 and secured a permanent place on his native national team starting from the 1976–1977 season, during which they faced New Zealand and Australia.^[70] Following the Australian series, he toured the West Indies, where he met Tony Greig, who signed him up for Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket.^[71] His credentials as one of the fastest bowlers in the world started to become established when he finished third at 139.7 km/h in a fast bowling contest at Perth in 1978, behind Jeff Thomson and Michael Holding but ahead of Dennis Lillee, Garth Le Roux, and Andy Roberts.^[73] During the late 1970s, Khan was one of the pioneers of the reverse swing bowling technique.^[74] He imparted this trick to the bowling duo of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, who mastered and popularised this art in later years.^[75]

As a bowler, Khan initially bowled with a relatively chest-on action, at medium-pace;^[76] however, he worked hard to remodel his action to a more classical type, and to strengthen his body, to enable fast bowling.^[77][78] Khan attained his prime as a fast bowler in January 1980 till 1988 when he became out and out fast bowler. During this span Imran picked 236 test wickets at 17.77 apiece with 18 five-wicket hauls and 5 10 wicket hauls. His bowling average and strike rate were better than Richard Hadlee (19.03), Malcolm Marshall (20.20), Dennis Lillee (24.07), Joel Garner (20.62), and Michael Holding (23.68).^[79][80] In January 1983, playing against India, he attained a Test bowling rating of 922 points. Although calculated retrospectively (International Cricket Council (ICC) player ratings did not exist at the time), Khan's form and performance during this period ranks third in the ICC's All-Time Test Bowling Rankings.^[81]

Khan achieved the all-rounder's triple (securing 3000 runs and 300 wickets) in 75 Tests, the second-fastest record behind Ian Botham's 72. He also has the second-highest all-time batting average of 61.86 for a Test batsman playing at position 6 in the batting order.^[82] He played his last Test match for Pakistan in January 1992, against Sri Lanka at Faisalabad. Khan retired permanently from cricket six months after his last ODI, the historic 1992 Cricket World Cup Final against England in Melbourne, Australia.^[83] He ended his career with 88 Test matches, 126 innings and scored 3807 runs at an average of 37.69, including six centuries and 18 fifties. His highest score was 136. As a bowler, he took 362 wickets in Test cricket, which made him the first Pakistani and world's fourth bowler to do so.^[71] In ODIs, he played 175 matches and scored 3709 runs at an average of 33.41. His highest score was 102 not out. His best ODI bowling was 6 wickets for 14 runs, a record for the best bowling figures by any bowler in an ODI innings in a losing cause.^[84]

Captaincy

At the height of his career, in 1982,^[85] the thirty-year-old Khan took over the captaincy of the Pakistan cricket team from Javed Miandad.^[86] As a captain, Khan played 48 Test matches, of which 14 were won by Pakistan, 8 lost and the remaining 26 were drawn. He also played 139 ODIs, winning 77, losing 57 and ending one in a tie.^[71]

In the team's second match, Khan led them to their first Test win on English soil for 28 years at Lord's.^[87] Khan's first year as captain was the peak of his legacy as a fast bowler as well as an all-rounder. He recorded the best Test bowling of his career while taking 8 wickets for 58 runs against Sri Lanka at Lahore in 1981–1982.^[71] He also topped both the bowling and batting averages against England in three-Test series in 1982, taking 21 wickets and averaging 56 with the bat. Later the same year, he put up a highly acknowledged performance in a home series against the formidable Indian team by taking 40 wickets in six Tests at an average of 13.95. By the end of this series in 1982–1983, Khan had taken 88 wickets in 13 Test matches over a period of one year as captain.^[70] This same Test series against India also resulted in a stress fracture in his shin that kept him out of cricket for more than two years. An experimental treatment funded by the Pakistani government helped him recover by the end of 1984 and he made a successful comeback to international cricket in the latter part of the 1984–1985 season.^[71]

In 1987 in India, Khan led Pakistan in its first-ever Test series win and this was followed by Pakistan's first series victory in England during the same year.^[87] During the 1980s, his team also recorded three creditable draws against the West Indies. India and Pakistan co-hosted the 1987 Cricket World Cup, but neither ventured beyond the semi-finals. Khan retired from international cricket at the end of the World Cup. In 1988, he was asked to return to the captaincy by the President of Pakistan, General Zia-ul-Haq, and on 18 January, he announced his decision to rejoin the team.^[71]

He holds as a captain the world record for taking most wickets, best bowling strike rate and best bowling average in Test,^[88][89] and best bowling figures (8 wickets for 60 runs) in a Test innings,^[90] and also most five-wicket hauls (6) in a Test innings in wins.^[91] Soon after returning to the captaincy, Khan led Pakistan to another winning tour in the West Indies, which he has recounted as "the last time I really bowled well."^[11] He was declared Man of the Series against West Indies in 1988 when he took 23 wickets in 3 Tests.^[71]

1992 Cricket World Cup final

Khan's career-high as a captain and cricketer came when he led Pakistan to victory in the 1992 Cricket World Cup. Playing with a brittle batting line-up, Khan promoted himself as a batsman to play in the top order along with Javed Miandad, but his contribution as a bowler was minimal.^[70][92][93] By the 35th over; Khan brought in Wasim Akram who scored the two most decisive blows to England of the game.^[94] At the age of 39, Khan took the winning last wicket himself.^[70][92][93] The match, viewed by millions,^[94] saw Pakistan's first and only world cup victory, beating England by 22 runs.^[95] Khan's leadership of the triumphant Pakistan team in the final gained him publicity for his inspirational role, with the image of Khan raising world cup trophy garnering publicity.^[96][97][98] After the victory Khan proclaimed,

It was rock-bottom when we lost to South Africa. I told the boys they had to play as if they were cornered tigers. I told them to forget about bowling no-balls and wides, and just go out there and fight.^[99]

Post-retirement from cricket

After retiring, Khan admitted to ball tampering during his early cricketing days when playing domestic cricket. Khan had said that, during matches, he "occasionally scratched the side of the ball and lifted the seam." Khan defended his actions in the same interview, arguing his conduct was commonplace at the time, even that spin bowlers would lift the seam (i.e. mildly ball tamper); Khan further argued that as he did not lift the seam of the ball above the normal level, he was not violating the rules and spirit of the game within the rules defined while he was a player. Khan stated that umpires in his 21 years of cricket had not complained about his conduct; Khan remarked that "The sole judge of fair and unfair play on the cricket field is the umpire."^[100] He had also added, "Only once did I use an object. When Sussex was playing Hampshire in 1981 the ball was not deviating at all. I got the 12th man to bring out a bottle top and it started to move around a lot."^[101]

In 1996, Khan successfully defended himself in a libel action brought forth by former English captain and all-rounder Ian Botham and batsman Allan Lamb over comments they alleged were made by Khan in two articles about the above-mentioned ball-tampering and another article published in an Indian magazine, India Today. They claimed that, in the latter publication, Khan had called the two cricketers "racist, ill-educated and lacking in class." Khan protested that he had been misquoted, saying that he was defending himself after having admitted that he tampered with a ball in a county match 18 years ago. Khan won the libel case, which the judge labelled a "complete exercise in futility", with a 10–2 majority decision by the jury.^[102]

Khan announced his return as a domestic league coach in May 2003. Reflecting on his return, Imran remarked, "After Pakistan's disappointing performance in the World Cup, a lot of my friends asked me to help Pakistan cricket and despite my commitments in politics I have agreed to help with coaching," during the launch of regional cricket clinics. He added, "I want to pay back what this country has given me."^[103]

Since retiring, Khan has written opinion pieces on cricket for various British and Asian newspapers, especially regarding the Pakistani national team. His contributions have been published in the Indian magazine Outlook,^[104]The Guardian,^[105]The Independent, and The Daily Telegraph. Khan occasionally appeared as a cricket commentator on Asian and British sports networks, including BBC Urdu^[106] and the Star TV network.^[107] In 2004, when the Indian cricket team toured Pakistan after 14 years, he was a commentator on TEN Sports' special live show, Straight Drive,^[108] while he was also a Sify columnist for the 2005 India-Pakistan Test series. He has provided analysis for every cricket World Cup since 1992, which includes providing match summaries for the BBC during the 1999 Cricket World Cup.^[109]

On 23 November 2005, Khan was appointed as the chancellor of University of Bradford, succeeding Betty Lockwood.^[110] On 26 February 2014, University of Bradford Union floated a motion to remove Khan from the post over Khan's absence from every graduation ceremony since 2010.^[111][112] Khan announced that he would step down on 30 November 2014, citing his "increasing political commitments."^[113]Brian Cantor, the university's vice-chancellor, said Khan had been "a wonderful role model for our students."^[114][115]

Philanthropy

Main articles: Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre and Namal College

During the 1990s, Khan also served as UNICEF's Special Representative for Sports^[116] and promoted health and immunisation programmes in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Thailand.^[117] While in London, he also works with the Lord's Taverners, a cricket charity.^[118] Khan focused his efforts solely on social work. By 1991, he had founded the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust, a charity organisation bearing the name of his mother, Mrs. Shaukat Khanum.^{[118][119][120]} As the Trust's maiden endeavour, Khan established Pakistan's first and then only cancer hospital, constructed using donations and funds exceeding $25 million, raised by Khan from all over the world.^[118][121]

In collaboration with Abdul Razzaq Anjum, also a resident of Mianwali, Khan aspired to establish a cadet college in their hometown. Their vision gained momentum when Governor Khalid Maqbool announced the establishment of the cadet college during a public gathering on 24 January 2002, followed by instructions to prepare a feasibility report. Anjum, wished to return to Mianwali after retirement and aimed to contribute to the district's development. In 2003, he was killed in an air crash along with 17 others including Chief of Air Staff Mushaf Ali Mir. The plan was ultimately abandoned and the college was never constructed.^[122][123]

On 27 April 2008, Khan established Namal College, a technical college in the Mianwali District.^[124][125] It was built by the Mianwali Development Trust (MDT) and is an associate college of the University of Bradford since December 2005.^[126][127]

The Imran Khan Foundation (IKF) established in February 2006,^[128] was a welfare organization that supported underprivileged communities in Pakistan, including victims of the 2010 Pakistan floods. On 22 November 2011, the IKF under the umbrella of Akhuwat Foundation, launched a project for disbursing interest-free loans to low-income families in the Nowshera District.^[129] In January 2013, IKF announced a Rs30 million emergency relief project for internally displaced persons (IDPs), refugees of the war on terror, belonging to the Mehsud tribe of North Waziristan who were neglected by the government. The project provided food supplies, winter essentials, and waterproof tents to 2,600 families in Tank, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. IKF's national program manager, Isfundiar Kasuri, emphasized the urgency of assisting these underserved families despite challenges in the conflict-hit region.^[130]

In March 2013, Fiza Farhan, representing the Buksh Foundation, signed an agreement with the IKF to establish solar charging stations in 4,000 off-grid villages of Dera Ghazi Khan, Mianwali, and Dera Ismail Khan in collaboration with Coca-Cola, Zong, and Engro Corporation. The initiative aimed to provide solar lanterns to villagers, offering clean energy and socio-economic benefits, while also supporting female entrepreneurs known as "light ladies" to manage the stations. These efforts helped combat energy poverty, improve living standards, and reduce carbon emissions.^[131][132] As of 15 May 2021, the IKF has ceased operations.^[133]

Early political career

Initial years

Khan was offered political positions more than a few times during his cricketing career. In 1987, President Zia-ul-Haq offered him a political position in the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) which he politely declined.^[21] Khan was also invited by Nawaz Sharif to join his political party.^[21] In 1993, Khan was appointed as the ambassador for tourism in the caretaker government of Moeenuddin Ahmad Qureshi and held the portfolio for three months until the government dissolved.^[134] In 1994, Khan joined the Jamiat-e-Pasban, a breakaway faction of Jamaat-e-Islami, of Hamid Gul and Muhammad Ali Durrani. However, Khan left the party after becoming uncomfortable with the idea of being seen as a puppet of Gul.^[21] "The assumption is that I'm a dumb sportsman who's being manipulated. They're wrong. Nobody orders me around," said Khan.^[135]

In 1995, Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, fearing a potential military coup that could appoint Khan as Prime Minister, responded with marked hostility towards him. The state-run television refused to broadcast archival footage of Imran's cricketing heyday and banned fundraising advertisements for his Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital during Ramadan, a month when Muslims traditionally give to charity. Authorities also spread rumors that Imran was suspected of embezzling hospital funds and being investigated for tax irregularities. As a result, donations to the hospital, which relied entirely on charitable contributions, were cut in half that year. Speaking to The Independent's Tim McGirk, Imran expressed his frustration: "By destroying my hospital, they're trying to get at me," he said angrily. "Benazir acts like a Moghul emperor. I have to go and lick her boots before she'll leave my hospital alone."^[135]

On 25 April 1996, Khan founded a political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).^[11][136] He ran for the seat of National Assembly of Pakistan in the 1997 Pakistani general election as a candidate of PTI from two constituencies – NA-53 Mianwali and NA-94 Lahore – but was unsuccessful and lost both the seats to candidates of PML-N.^[137]

Khan supported General Musharraf's 1999 Pakistani coup d'état,^[138] believing Musharraf would "end corruption, clear out the political mafias."^[139] According to Khan, he was Musharraf's choice for prime minister in 2002 but turned down the offer.^[140] Khan participated in the October 2002 Pakistani general election that took place across 272 constituencies and was prepared to form a coalition if his party did not get a majority of the vote.^[141] He was elected from Mianwali.^[142] In the 2002 Pakistani referendum, Khan supported military dictator General Musharraf.^[143] He also served as a part of the Standing Committees on Kashmir and Public Accounts.^[144]

After the 2003 invasion of Iraq began, Khan participated in a protest held in Hyde Park, London opposing the war, alongside Tony Benn. Here, Khan stated: "The fear is that this is not going to be the last war, first it was Afghanistan, now its Iraq and if the hawks in Washington have their way then its going to be some other country very soon."^[145]

On 6 May 2005, Khan was mentioned in The New Yorker as being the "most directly responsible" for drawing attention in the Muslim world to the Newsweek story about the alleged desecration of the Qur'an in a US military prison at the Guantánamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba.^[146] In June 2007, Khan faced political opponents in and outside the parliament.^[147]

On 2 October 2007, as part of the All Parties Democratic Movement, Khan joined 85 other MPs to resign from Parliament in protest of the presidential election scheduled for 6 October, which general Musharraf was contesting without resigning as army chief.^[148] On 3 November 2007, Khan was put under house arrest, after president Musharraf declared a state of emergency in Pakistan. Later Khan escaped and went into hiding.^[149] He eventually came out of hiding on 14 November to join a student protest at the University of the Punjab.^[150] At the rally, Khan was captured by student activists from the Islami Jamiat-e-Talaba and roughly treated.^[151] He was arrested during the protest and was sent to the Dera Ghazi Khan jail in the Punjab province where he spent a few days before being released.^[152]

On 30 October 2011, Khan addressed more than 100,000 supporters in Lahore, challenging the policies of the government, and referred to his movement as "not a flood that is coming, but a tsunami."^[153] A successful public gathering of thousands of supporters was held in Karachi on 25 December 2011.^[154] According to a survey conducted by the International Republican Institute (IRI) in 2012, Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) topped the list of popular political parties in Pakistan at the national level, with 31% of the vote. The survey, conducted between February 9 and March 8, 2012, found PTI ahead of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), which received 27%, and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), which garnered 16%. The survey also highlighted PTI's strong performance, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (49%) and Balochistan (35%), where the party secured the top spot, though it was second in Punjab with 33%.^[155][156]

On 6 October 2012, Khan joined a vehicle caravan of protesters from Islamabad to the village of Kotai in Pakistan's South Waziristan region against US drone missile strikes.^[157][158] On 23 March 2013, Khan introduced the Naya Pakistan Resolution (New Pakistan) at the start of his election campaign.^[159] Between 2011 and 2013, Khan and Nawaz Sharif began to engage each other in a bitter feud. The rivalry between the two leaders grew in late 2011 when Khan addressed his largest crowd at Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore.^[160] From 26 April 2013, in the run up to the elections, both the PML-N and the PTI started to criticise each other.^[161] On 29 April, The Observer termed Khan and his PTI, as the main opposition to the PML-N.^[