The former cricket star and opposition stalwart Imran Khan has declared victory in Pakistan's tense election. A slow vote count had sparked accusations of ballot rigging by rivals.
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Khan vows to run Pakistan 'like never before'
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"We were successful, and we were given a mandate," Imran Khan said in a televised address on Thursday, claiming victory for himself and his PTI party in Pakistan's national election.
Khan also used his acceptance speech to declare that India and Pakistan had to come to an agreement for lasting peace in the Kashmir border region.
"The leaders of Pakistan and India should sit down at a table and resolve the Kashmir issue," he said. Khan also announced plans to bolster the country's welfare system.
His party is expected to win up to 119 seats of the 272 up for grabs in the 342-seat parliament. Khan would likely face a difficult path to forming a coalition with rival parties opposed to his victory.
From cricket icon, to hedonistic playboy, and finally the leader of Pakistan — Imran Khan has enjoyed a long career in the public eye. DW looks at Imran Khan's sporting successes and political ascent.
Image: Reuters/M. Raza
Affluent upbringing
Imran Khan was born in Lahore in 1952, the son of a civil engineer. Khan grew up with his four sisters in a relatively affluent part of the city. He received a privileged education, first in his hometown and then in Worcester, England. It was there that Khan's love and talent for the game of cricket became evident. In 1972, he enrolled at Oxford University to study politics and economics.
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Pakistan cricket's blue-eyed boy
Khan played cricket throughout his time in England and after returning to his native Pakistan in 1976, he quickly became a regular in the national team. By 1982, he was awarded the captain's armband. Khan enjoyed an illustrious career and was regarded by many as one of the best all-rounders in the world.
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World champion
The ultimate high point of Khan's sporting career saw him captain Pakistan to the 1992 Cricket World Cup in Melbourne, Australia. As if his popularity couldn't get any bigger back home, Khan even took the winning wicket in the final against England.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/S. Dupont
From playboy to (thrice) married man
Khan enjoyed hedonistic bachelor life and was a regular fixture on London's nightlife scene. However, in 1995, at age 42, he finally tied the knot to 21-year-old Jemima Goldsmith. During their nine-year marriage, the famous couple provided plenty of fodder for the British and Pakistani tabloids. Despite separating in 2004, Goldsmith has remained a vocal supporter of Khan's politics.
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Khan enters politics
Khan wasted little time after retiring from cricket in 1994. Just two years later he entered Pakistani politics and founded the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. However, his popularity was slow to carry over from cricket into politics. In the 1997 general elections, his PTI party failed to win a single seat.
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Political activist
Khan remained active in politics over the next decades. In 1999, he supported General Pervez Musharraf's military coup, only to later turn against Musharraf ahead of the 2007 presidential election. Khan was subsequently placed under house arrest and even spent a few days in prison. However, his supporter base continued to grow, and by 2013 he became a key candidate in the general elections.
Image: AP
2013: Khan's political breakthrough
The PTI made substantial gains in the 2013 election, claiming 30 parliamentary seats and finishing second behind the Pakistan Muslim League. The party became the main opposition in the key provinces of Punjab and Sindh. However, its greatest feat was winning its first province in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/A. Arab
"Taliban Khan"
Khan has often been the butt of jokes for his pacifist stance towards terrorism in the region. He earned the moniker "Taliban Khan" for claiming that the only way to achieve peace with the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan was through negotiation. Khan was also a vocal critic of US drones strikes on Pakistan and has promised to disengage Pakistan from America's conflicts in the Middle East.
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Two more marriages
Since his divorce from Goldsmith in 2004, Khan has remarried twice. In January 2015, Khan announced his marriage to British-Pakistani journalist Reham Khanm although just 10 months later the couple said they were filing for divorce. In February 2018, Khan married his third wife, Bushra Manika (pictured front row, second from the left), whom he describes as his spiritual adviser.
Image: PIT
Making waves in 2018
By 2018, Khan's PTI were among the favorites going into the general election. Campaigning on a populist platform, Khan pledged to break away from Pakistan's corrupt legacy. His plans include a poverty reduction program similar to that seen in China. This would see the establishment of an "Islamic welfare state," the creation of 10 million jobs and construction of 5 million homes for the poor.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary
Prime Minister Imran Khan
Khan completed his journey from all-star cricketer to political leader on July 26, 2018. With most votes counted, the PTI is expected win up to 119 seats in Pakistan's 272-seat parliament. "I started this struggle 22 years ago and today I have been given a chance to fulfill what I dreamed for the country," Khan said in a televised speech. "We will run Pakistan like it's never been run before."
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Controversial vote count:
The latest results give Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI, Movement for Justice) party a lead over the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N), which is currently headed by Shahbaz Sharif, the brother of jailed ex-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Election officials said a technical glitch in the electronic reporting system has delayed the results, with staff now counting ballots by hand. The Election Commission of Pakistan ruled out any "conspiracy" in the delay.
The slow vote tally has led to fears about the legitimacy of the vote and prompted many political parties to cry foul. PML-N rejected the count as "blatantly" rigged.
Final results are expected in the evening on Thursday, although officials did not name a specific time.
The army is accused of backing PTI leader and former cricket star Imran KhanImage: picture-alliance/AP Photo/K.M. Chaudary
'We need someone who isn't corrupt'
Before official results arrived, PTI and Khan supporters took to the streets to celebrate the initial results on Wednesday night.
Supporters had remained hopeful on Thursday as the electoral commission continued to count ballots after technical issues with new software.
"I came back from America just for the elections," Sadiq Kakakhel told DW's Naomi Conrad in Islamabad. He said he voted for Khan "because we need someone who isn't corrupt, who can fix things."
"The biggest issue in Pakistan is corruption. That's why I support Khan," Muhamed Atif told DW as he was driving to Khan's house. Several supporters were gathering at a roadblock on the way to his home.
A 'new' Pakistan: Khan ran on a platform pledging to tackle corruption, promising an "Islamic welfare state," and a populist pledge to topple Pakistan's political elite. The campaign resonated with younger voters in a nation where 64 percent of the 200 million people are under 30 years old.
Accusations of military interference: The election was dogged by accusations that Pakistan's powerful military was manipulating the election. The military, which has ruled Pakistan for roughly half of its 71-year history, allegedly backed Khan and the PTI. Military spokesman General Asif Ghafoor called accusations of interference "malicious propaganda" in a tweet that included pictures of voters kissing and thanking soldiers at polling stations.
"It's such a blatant rigging that everyone has started crying," Shahbaz Sharif told reporters in Lahore. "Today what they have done has pushed Pakistan back 30 years. ... We reject this result."
PML-N Senator Asif Kirmani told DW that "these elctions are the worst bogus elections," and implied that if other political parties were to agree, the PML-N may try to mobilize the masses against the results.
Violent campaign: The lead-up to the vote saw repeated violence and threats from militant groups, as well as attacks on election day. A suicide bomber targeted a crowding polling station in the southwestern city of Quetta, killing 31 people. The military deployed about 350,000 troops to secure the country's 85,000 polling stations.
Thousands vying for office: More than 11,000 candidates were in the running for the 272 seats up for grabs in Pakistan's National Assembly and the 577 seats in four provincial assemblies. The winning party will face several issues, including a crumbling economy and violence from militants.
