Political Career
From founding PTI to the Prime Minister's office and beyond
The Awkward Entry
Imran Khan entered politics in 1996, four years after winning the World Cup. He was 43, iconic, and had no political experience. He founded the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice) on 25 April 1996 in Lahore. The launch was met with widespread skepticism. PTI won less than 1 percent of the vote in the 1997 elections. The party was written off as a vanity project.
Khan kept going. The 2002 elections gave PTI its first toehold. Khan won a single National Assembly seat from Mianwali. The real breakthrough came in 2011 with a rally in Lahore that drew tens of thousands, far more than anyone expected.
The 2018 Election and Premiership
PTI won 16.9 million votes, the most any party had ever received in a Pakistani election. Khan contested from five constituencies and won all five, a first in Pakistan's electoral history. He was sworn in as the 22nd Prime Minister on 18 August 2018, speaking of building a "Naya Pakistan" modeled on the principles of the first Islamic state of Medina.
Key Domestic Initiatives
Ehsaas Program
Largest social safety net in Pakistan's history, distributing cash transfers to millions of families.
Sehat Sahulat
Universal health insurance covering up to 1 million rupees per family per year.
10 Billion Tree Tsunami
Massive reforestation program that drew international praise.
Kartarpur Corridor
Visa-free access for Indian Sikh pilgrims to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib.
Foreign Policy
Khan positioned Pakistan as a mediator in Afghanistan, deepened ties with China through CPEC, and strengthened relations with Turkey and Gulf states. He was the first Pakistani prime minister since 2002 to visit Moscow, arriving on 24 February 2022, the day Russia invaded Ukraine. He spoke out against Islamophobia at the United Nations and pressed for debt relief for developing countries during COVID-19.
The Ouster
In 2022, facing a no-confidence motion after losing his parliamentary majority, Khan pushed for snap elections by dissolving the National Assembly. The Supreme Court ruled the dissolution unconstitutional. On 10 April 2022, the no-confidence vote proceeded and Khan was removed from office.
He alleged a US-led conspiracy based on a diplomatic cable known as the "cipher." The cipher case later formed the basis of criminal charges, of which he was ultimately acquitted by the Islamabad High Court.
The Fall and Imprisonment
After his ouster, Khan launched mass protests demanding early elections. In November 2022, he survived an assassination attempt. A gunman opened fire on his container truck during a protest march. Khan was shot in the leg. In August 2023, he was arrested and has remained in custody since.
As of mid-2026, PTI-backed independent candidates won the most seats in the 2024 general election, solidifying the party's status as Pakistan's most popular political force. But Khan remains in jail, facing over 150 court cases.