Pakistan cricket legend Imran Khan's political cachet grows Reporting from Islamabad, Pakistan - For 15 years, Pakistanis exalted Imran Khan as a cricket legend but largely ignored his politics. When Khan discussed cricket, the public hung on his every word. But when he campaigned for office, they dismissed him as an outsider. Now, asPakistan'stopsy-turvy political landscape careens into an election season, Khan the politician has emerged for the first time as a major force, his ascent directly proportionate to the rising tide of frustration Pakistanis feel over woes such as seemingly endemic corruption, poverty and shortages of power and natural gas. At an Oct. 30 rally in Lahore, he stunned the political establishment by drawing more than 100,000 people. He followed up in December, rallying 100,000 more in Karachi, the country's biggest city and commercial capital. Khan's struggle to be taken seriously has been a long one in a country where political newcomers rarely gain traction. He even had to overcome an affliction that pained him as far back as his cricket career, which ended in 1992. "When I became the captain of my team, I was only speaking to 11 players, but I used to have trouble speaking to 11 players," Khan, 59, said during a recent interview at his hilltop residence on the outskirts of Islamabad, a pale goldenrod villa adorned with greenery and a terra-cotta roof that gives it a Southern California feel. I used to tell the manager, 'Look, you talk to them.' ... Public speaking I always found to be a problem. Now, he is drawing huge crowds by pledging to end corruption, negotiate with Islamic militants and take a tougher line with Washington. At a November rally in Chakwal, Khan, who hopes to step into power with a win in upcoming parliamentary elections, revved up a city that once was the sole domain of Nawaz Sharif, whose party governs the Pakistani heartland province of Punjab and has long been a nemesis to President Asif Ali Zardari. Tens of thousands of Khan supporters jammed shoulder to shoulder on a college lawn, swaying to kitschy campaign jingles and flinging handfuls of rose petals at the stage when he rose to speak. "We want change," said Sabina Iqbal, a 31-year-old Chakwal archaeologist, shouting above the pounding din of drummers and fireworks. Look around in this country; every place is on the verge of collapse. I know Imran Khan didn't do well in previous elections, but now he's the most popular politician in the country. It's not as though Khan has yet laid out a detailed blueprint of remedies. But analysts say his popularity is skyrocketing because a growing number of Pakistanis cling to a hope that he will conjure up that blueprint soon. "From despondency to the positivity of hope: He's already covered that distance," said Ejaz Haider, a leading Pakistani commentator. The significance of this moment is that he has finally emerged as a political force to be reckoned with. Along the way Khan has assembled an impressive list of defectors from other major parties to his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or Justice Movement party, which he founded in 1996. "I've always had the credibility," Khan, said during the interview. But I did not have the viability. Oct. 30 broke the viability barrier. What hasn't changed is the veneration of Khan as a cricket supernova in a country where sports heroes have been hard to come by. Khan's legendary career has served as the foundation for his every endeavor, be it politics or philanthropic achievements that include raising $25 million for the construction of a cancer hospital in Lahore. The capstone on his cricket career came in 1992, when as captain of the Pakistani national team he led a stunning victory over England to win the World Cup. Khan says his cricket fame spawned offers from Pakistani leaders for ministerial posts, which he says he spurned to chart his own course. He paid a stiff price after entering politics in 1996; his newly created party failed to win a seat in the parliament in 1997 elections, won just one seat in 2002 and did not participate in 2008 elections. In a country dominated by Zardari's Pakistan People's Party and Sharif's PML-N, breaking into the top tier can prove exceedingly difficult, particularly if that third party is led by "someone not from any political family or background," Khan said. Khan put his London playboy past behind him when he threw himself into politics. The endless barrage of public appearances that came with it forced him to overcome stage fright, he says. Khan has a well-oiled team that has been managing his meteoric rise, but some in Pakistan wonder whether his sudden popularity has been nurtured behind the scenes by the country's powerful security establishment.