Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi (born 5 October 1952) is a Pakistani former cricketer, philanthropist, and politician who served as the 19th Prime Minister of Pakistan from August 2018 to April 2022. He captained the Pakistan national cricket team to victory in the 1992 Cricket World Cup and is the founder of the political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
Key Facts
| Full name | Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi |
|---|---|
| Born | 5 October 1952, Lahore |
| Education | Keble College, Oxford |
| Cricket career | 1971–1992 |
| Political party | Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (founder; chairman 1996–2023) |
| Office | 19th Prime Minister of Pakistan (August 2018 – April 2022) |
| Spouses | Jemima Goldsmith (m. 1995, div. 2004); Reham Khan (m. January 2015, div. October 2015); Bushra Bibi (m. 18 February 2018) |
| Honour | ICC Cricket Hall of Fame (2009) |
Background
Born in Lahore, Khan graduated from Keble College, Oxford. He began his international cricket career in a 1971 Test series against England.
Cricket Career
Khan captained the Pakistan national cricket team for most of the 1980s and early 1990s. During his captaincy he advocated for neutral umpiring. In 1987 he led Pakistan to its first-ever Test series victories in both India and England, and in 1992 he led the side to victory in the Cricket World Cup, after which he retired from the sport.
Khan achieved the all-rounder's triple of scoring 3,000 runs and taking 300 wickets in Tests. He holds the world record for the most wickets as a captain in Test cricket and recorded the second-best bowling figures in an innings. He has won the most Player of the Series awards in Test cricket for Pakistan and ranks fourth overall in Test history. He was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame in 2009.
Philanthropy
After retiring from cricket, Khan founded the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, Pakistan's first cancer hospital.
Personal Life
In his bachelorhood, Khan had several relationships and was associated with London's nightlife. His first girlfriend, Emma Sergeant, was, by his own account, the one woman he truly loved before his first marriage. He had a relationship with Ana-Luisa (Sita) White, daughter of industrialist Gordon White; a California court ruled Khan to be the father of her daughter Tyrian Jade, though he denied paternity. He dated German MTV host Kristiane Backer and introduced her to Islam.
Khan married Jemima Goldsmith in 1995, had two sons, and divorced in 2004 due to her difficulty adjusting to life in Pakistan. He married British-Pakistani journalist Reham Khan in January 2015 and divorced in October of the same year. He married his spiritual guide Bushra Bibi on 18 February 2018.
Political Career
Khan founded the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in 1996 and chaired the party until 2023. He supported General Pervez Musharraf's 1999 coup d'état. His political career involved perceived closeness to the military establishment, including contacts with several ISI chiefs. He first became a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan in the 2002 election.
Prime Ministership (2018–2022)
In the 2018 Pakistani general election, Khan contested from five constituencies and became the first candidate in Pakistan's electoral history to win all of them. He was subsequently elected prime minister in a PTI-led coalition government. During the COVID-19 pandemic, his government launched what has been described as Pakistan's largest welfare programme. During his premiership, Khan spoke out against Islamophobia in the Western world.
In February 2022, he became the first Pakistani prime minister since 2002 to visit Moscow, arriving on the same day the Russian invasion of Ukraine began. In April 2022, he became the first Pakistani prime minister to be removed from office through a no-confidence motion. He alleged United States involvement in his removal, blaming Washington for opposing his foreign policy that sought closer relations with China and Russia.
Post-Premiership
In October 2022, the Election Commission of Pakistan barred Khan for one term from the National Assembly over the Toshakhana case. In November 2022, he survived an assassination attempt. In May 2023, he was arrested at the Islamabad High Court during a hearing related to corruption charges; following the May 9 riots, he was released on protective bail a few days later, and was arrested again in August 2023.
He has since been sentenced to 14 years in the Al-Qadir Trust case and, as of December 2024, faced 186 cases across Pakistan. He has alleged that his imprisonment is politically motivated, blaming the post-2022 military establishment and the Shehbaz Sharif government, both of which deny the claim.
Significance
Khan is regarded as one of cricket's leading all-rounders and as a transformative figure in Pakistani sport, philanthropy, and politics. His captaincy delivered Pakistan's only Cricket World Cup title to date, his hospital project pioneered specialised cancer care in Pakistan, and his political movement reshaped the country's electoral landscape, culminating in his elevation to the prime ministership.
Related Topics
- Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
- 1992 Cricket World Cup
- Pakistan national cricket team
- Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre
- Prime Minister of Pakistan
- Jemima Goldsmith
- ICC Cricket Hall of Fame
- Keble College, Oxford
- 2018 Pakistani general election
References
- Imran Khan – English Wikipedia
- Wikidata item: Q155164