Imran Khan, a former Pakistani cricketer and former Prime Minister of Pakistan, is considered one of the greatest cricketers of all time. He played for the Pakistani national cricket team from 1971 to 1992 and captained the team from 1982 to 1992. Imran Khan led Pakistan to win the Cricket World Cup in 1992.
After retiring from cricket in 1992, Khan became involved in politics. He founded the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party in 1996 and has been its leader ever since. He became the 22nd president of Pakistan in 2018. While Imran was very successful in his cricket career, his political career was not quite fruitful. Let’s have a look at Imran Khan’s eventful life.
Who is Imran Khan?
Imran Khan is a cricketer and politician from Pakistan. He is also a former Prime Minister of the country and the chairman of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party. Khan played international cricket for two decades and is considered one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. In 1992, Pakistan earned its first Cricket World Cup under his captaincy.
However, he started his political career in 1996 and has been an outspoken critic of corruption and terrorism. Khan was elected Prime Minister in 2018 and has since embarked on an ambitious reform agenda.
Pakistani Cricketer Imran Khan
Pakistani Cricketer Imran Khan (Image: Collected)
Childhood of Imran Khan
Imran Khan was born to Ikramullah Khan Niazi, a civil engineer, and his wife, Shaukat Khanum on October 5, 1952, in Lahore, Pakistan. His parents were of Pashtun ethnicity and hailed from Peshawar. Imran’s
Imran grew up with his four sisters Rubina Khanum, Alema Khanum, Uzma Khanum, and Rani Khanum. His early years were spent in a traditional Muslim family.
Education of Imran Khan
Raised in an upper-middle-class family, Imran Khan got a privileged education. He started his schooling at Aitchison College and then studied at Cathedral School in Lahore. He was sent to Royal Grammar School Worcester in England in 1971 for further education. And later, he excelled in his cricketing career in Worcester.
Imran was excellent in his education. In just one year at Royal Grammar School, he achieved A-level grades required for admission to Oxford. The next year in 1972, Imran Khan enrolled in Keble College, Oxford, to pursue education in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics. He graduated in 1975 from Oxford. He was a cricket enthusiast from his college level.
Family Life of Imran Khan
While Imran Khan’s cricket career was exciting, his family life was eventful as he married three times.
First Wife, Jemima Goldsmith
43-year-old Imran Khan married 21-year-old Jemima Goldsmith on June 21, 1995, in a lavish ceremony at the Richmond Registry Office in England. A reception was then given at Goldsmith’s house in the province of Surrey, where the different aristocrats were present. However, their marriage lasted for only 9 years. The couple got divorced in 2004. They have two sons Sulaiman Isa Khan and Kasim Khan.
Second Wife, Reham Khan
Imran Khan married again in 2015. After months of speculation, he married British-Pakistani journalist and television presenter Reham Khan in January 2015. The marriage took place in a simple ceremony at Imran’s residence in Bani Gala. Nine months later, in October 2015, they divorced.
Imran Khan Three Marriages
Three Marriages of Imran Khan at a Glance (Image: Collected)
Third Wife, Bushra Bibi
Imran Khan’s third and current wife is Bushra Bibi. On February 18, 2018, they got married at Imran’s own residence in Lahore. At that time, Bushara was around 40 years old. Before marrying Imran, Bushra was married to Khawar Farid Maneka, a Customs official and a son of Ghulam Muhammad Maneka, a former federal minister in Benazir Bhutto’s cabinet.
First Wife, Jemima Goldsmith
43-year-old Imran Khan married 21-year-old Jemima Goldsmith on June 21, 1995, in a lavish ceremony at the Richmond Registry Office in England. A reception was then given at Goldsmith’s house in the province of Surrey, where the different aristocrats were present. However, their marriage lasted for only 9 years. The couple got divorced in 2004. They have two sons Sulaiman Isa Khan and Kasim Khan.
Second Wife, Reham Khan
Imran Khan married again in 2015. After months of speculation, he married British-Pakistani journalist and television presenter Reham Khan in January 2015. The marriage took place in a simple ceremony at Imran’s residence in Bani Gala. Nine months later, in October 2015, they divorced.
Imran Khan Three Marriages
Three Marriages of Imran Khan at a Glance (Image: Collected)
Third Wife, Bushra Bibi
Imran Khan’s third and current wife is Bushra Bibi. On February 18, 2018, they got married at Imran’s own residence in Lahore. At that time, Bushara was around 40 years old. Before marrying Imran, Bushra was married to Khawar Farid Maneka, a Customs official and a son of Ghulam Muhammad Maneka, a former federal minister in Benazir Bhutto’s cabinet.
After graduation from Oxford, Imran Khan returned to Pakistan in 1976 and joined the Pakistan National Team as a permanent player. He started in the 1976-1977 season against New Zealand and Australia. In between the Australian series and afterward, he traveled to the West Indies, where he met Tony Greig, who later signed him up for Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket.
He earned a reputation as one of the world’s fastest bowlers in 1978 when he finished third at 139.7 km/h in a fast bowling contest in Perth. By the end of 1970, Imran Khan became one of the pioneers of the reverse swing technique, which he taught to Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis in later years.
Imran Khan Cricketer Political Leader
Styles of Imran Khan (Image: Collected)
When he was at the peak of his career, Imran Khan became the captain in 1982, when he took over from Javed Miandad. Khan played 139 One Day International (ODI) and 48 Test matches during his captaincy. Out of 139 ODIs, he won 77 matches and lost 57.
Imran Khan’s greatest achievement came when he led Pakistan in the 1992 Cricket World Cup and won the Cup. He retired in 1992, and his last international game was against England in 1992.
Overview of Imran Khan’s Political Life
Imran Khan was interested in politics as different parties invited him to join them. However, Khan did not want to join any party as these were opposed to his ideology. Hence, he founded a new political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in 1996. Next year, he ran for the 1997 Pakistani general election, but he was not successful.
After that, Imran had a lot of ups and downs before he established his political career. And over the years, Imran Khan created quite a good position in politics, and his party contested in the 2018 General Election. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf won the election, and Imran Khan became the prime minister of Pakistan. He tried to change Pakistan over the last four years. Unfortunately, he was removed from his office in April 2022 over a no-confidence vote in parliament.
Conclusion
Imran Khan was a remarkable cricketer and a good leader with fascinating life events. He has inspired many people through his playing and charitable endeavors. He has accomplished so much in his life, and many people consider him a role model.