Islamabad, Pakistan - Pakistan's parliament has elected Imran Khan as prime minister after his party swept the general election last month, vowing to bring an era of accountability and prosperity to the South Asian country.

Members of the National Assembly voted in the capital, Islamabad, on Friday for Khan to be leader of the house, making him Pakistan's head of state.

Khan secured 176 votes on Friday, beating Shehbaz Sharif, president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, who got 96.

Khan will take the oath on Saturday, form a cabinet and assume control of the government in the coming days.

"In this country, before everything else, we have to make sure there is accountability," said Khan, in a speech after the vote in parliament.

"Those who have looted this country and indebted it, I promise this today that no one will escape."

The long-time opposition politician takes the reins of power for the first time in his 22-year political career, having led a strenuous campaign against corruption and government mismanagement since he retired as one of Pakistan's most popular cricketers in 1992.

Following Khan's election, opposition lawmakers loudly raised slogans and refused to be seated, forcing the speaker to briefly suspend proceedings.

The floor of the house remained chaotic throughout the session, with rival parties interrupting each other’s speeches with loud chants and slogans.

Khan, clad in a white shalwar kurta and black waistcoat, and holding a set of brown prayer beads in his hands, smiled broadly as he took his place as leader of the house.

The PTI's election victory was marred by widespread allegations of irregularities in the vote counting process, and opposition parties on Friday decried the results as "unacceptable".

In his speech, Khan welcomed any investigation into the election results, saying he would support the process. He also committed to empowering parliament, and attending at least twice a month to answer other lawmakers’ questions.

'End of an era'

Sharif's party was roundly beaten at the polls in July, dropping down to 81 seats in the 342-member house, in comparison to the PTI's 151 seats. The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) came in third with 54 seats.

The PTI has heralded the election win as "the end of an era", marking the first time anyone other than the PML-N, the PPP or the country's powerful military has ruled Pakistan in more than four decades.

"There has been a change of generations," said party spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry. "The priorities will now change. The old politics was synonymous with cronyism, corruption and incompetence. Let's hope we can end this era."

Sharif, however, rejected the poll result on Friday, saying it was the result of rigging.

"This parliament that has come into being, it is the result of the most rigged elections in Pakistan's history," he claimed.

The PML-N, PPP and others claim the country's military - which has ruled Pakistan for roughly half of its 71-year-old history - tilted the electoral playing field in the PTI's favour in the run-up the polls.

The military denies taking any role in politics.

Economic woes

Khan inherits a country facing a slew of problems, not least on the economic front, where fiscal and trade deficits have ballooned, leading to increasing public debt and dwindling foreign reserves.

The country's public sector external debt stands at $70.2bn, or 26.6 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP), with foreign reserves down to $10.1bn, according to the central bank.

"We will tackle issues on multiple fronts, but obviously the economic front is foremost," said Chaudhry.

Earlier this month, PTI leader Asad Umar, widely tipped to be the country's finance minister, said the government would consider all options to tackle the balance of payments crisis, including approaching the International Monetary Fund, bilateral loans and issuing bonds to overseas Pakistanis.

"It seems that reasonably urgent decision making is required," he said at a briefing to media on August 7, terming the situation "dire".

Asad Hashim is Al Jazeera's digital correspondent in Pakistan. He tweets @AsadHashim.</s>The cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan took oath as 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan on Saturday. On Friday, Imran Khan’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf secured 176 votes, 4 more than majority mark, in parliament’s confidence vote with the support of small parties. The swearing-in ceremony was administered by President Manmoon Hussain and was held at President’s house in Islamabad. Shahbaz Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz won only 96 votes. Meanwhile, Navjot Singh Singh was also present at the oath-taking ceremony held in Islamabad. In National Assembly elections held last month, PTI had emerged as the single largest party with 116 seats.

11:55 am | At the oath-taking ceremony of Imran Khan, Navjot Singh Sidhu sat next to Pakistan Occupied Kashmir president.

11:30 am | Major political parties of Pakistan like Shahbaz Sharif’s PMLN, Bilawal Bhutto’s Pakistan Peoples Party had alleged massive rigging in recently held National Assembly elections.

11:25 am | In the past, Imran Khan was invited by the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Nawaz Sharif to join his party Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), which is now Imran Khan’s party PTI political rival.

11:02 am | Before starting his political innings, Imran Khan was a cricketer and philanthropist. Imran Khan was the captain of Pakistan cricket team which won 1992 World Cup. Imran Khan was known for his leadership skills on the field.

10:53 am | Imran Khan becomes 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan.

10:50 am | President Mamnoon administering the oath to Imran Khan.

10:35 AM | Visuals of Imran Khan’s oath-taking ceremony, PTI chief’s wife Bushra Maneka is also present at the event.

10: 20 am | Navjot Singh Sidhu arrived for the ceremony.

10:00 am | Lawmakers of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, allied parties, and others invited to the ceremony are gathering in the President House.</s>ISLAMABAD, Aug 17 (APP):Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza on Friday congratulated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on his election as the Prime Minister of Pakistan.

 In a statement, the CEC expressed good wishes for him.</s>ISLAMABAD : Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan was sworn in as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan on Saturday.

President Mamnoon Hussain administered the oath of PM office to Khan in a ceremony held at the Aiwan-e-Sadr (President House).

Imran Khan clad in black sherwani arrived in Aiwan-e-Sadr (the President House) from his Banigala residence. His wife Bushra Imran also attended the ceremony.

Other notable guests present at the Aiwan-e-Sadr include senior PTI leaders, former Indian cricket star Navjot Singh Sidhu, cricketer-turned-commentator Rameez Raja, legendary paceman Wasim Akram, newly elected Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervez Elahi, singers Salman Ahmed and Abrarul Haq, actor Javaid Sheikh and former National Assembly speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza.

The ceremony begun with the national anthem, after which the cabinet secretary sought permission from the president to commence the ceremony.

It was followed by the recitation of the Holy Quran, after which the oath was administered and documents signed.</s>Islamabad: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan will sworn-in as the 22nd prime minister of the country at the President House in Islamabad on Saturday. The oath-taking ceremony is scheduled to take place at 9.30 am (local time) and Pakistan president Mamnoon Hussain would administer the oath to Khan. Before the ceremony takes place, Pakistan’s national anthem will be played out, Geo News reported.

Following the oath-taking ceremony, the signing of documents will take place. Khan, who led the Pakistan cricket team to their only World Cup victory in 1992, would assume the prime ministerial post after more than two decades, since joining politics in 1996. The members of the 1992 winning squad are slated to attend the swearing-in ceremony.

From India, former cricketer and Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu, who arrived in Pakistan on Friday, will grace the ceremony.

Other cricketers such as Kapil Dev and Sunil Gavaskar, who was also invited by Khan, earlier confirmed that they would not be participating in the event. While Dev cited ‘personal reasons’, Gavaskar also declined the invitation owing to his commentary commitments for the ongoing Test series between India and England, the report said.

On Friday, Khan was elected as the new Prime Minister of Pakistan, defeating his rival Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Shehbaz Sharif.

While the 65-year-old cricketer-turned-politician bagged 176 seats, Sharif, the PML-N president and the brother of jailed former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif, managed to secure just 96 seats, The Dawn reported.

The newly-elected Speaker of the House, Asad Qaiser announced the results amid the chants of ‘na manzoor’ (unacceptable) and “Wazir-e-azam Nawaz Sharif” (former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif).

The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), which is the third largest party in the National Assembly (NA), the lower house of Pakistan’s Parliament, withdrew its support for the PML-N and abstained from voting in the House. In the 25 July general elections, the PTI had emerged as the single largest party with 116 seats.

The number increased to 158 in the NA after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issued notifications of the successful candidates on the reserved seats for women and the minority community on 11 August.

After being elected as the prime minister, Khan pledged to bring a change which according to him “the country was awaiting for last 70 years”. He assured to identify the people accountable for “looting the country”, as per the report.

“Those who stole this nation’s money and stashed it abroad, I will bring them all to accountability. We will together debate and think on how to generate our own revenues so that we never have to be dependent on another country,” he said while thanking the youth of Pakistan for supporting him.

Recounting his journey of 22 years from a cricketer to a politician, Khan asserted that no “military dictator nurtured” him and he has reached this height with his own “struggle and accord.”</s>Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and now Prime Minister, Imran Khan, is a name that needs no introduction in Pakistan.

The cricketer-turned-politician is well-reputed among the masses, and is internationally recognised for being the only Pakistani cricket captain to win World Cup 1992.

Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi was born in 1952 in Lahore and got his early education from Aitchison, Worcester and later at Keble College, Oxford.

He started playing cricket at age of 13 and even captained the oxford’s cricket team and then later for the cricket club in Worcestershire. He made his debut for Pakistan national cricket team against England at the age of 18 in 1971.

Khan got married to Jemima Goldsmith, daughter of late financier Sir James Goldsmith in 1995. But their marriage did not last long due to personal reasons and ended in 2004.

Apart from being a true champion in cricket, he started his political career after forming a political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf shortly after his marriage to Jemima in late 1990s.

He also established Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital in Lahore in the 90s in memory of his late mother, and the hospital now is home to cancer patients from across the country.

In Elections 2018, Khan’s party not only bagged majority of the seats in the National Assembly, he himself managed to win 5 out of 5 seats he contested from.

Details of constituencies he won from

NA-53 Islamabad: Imran won with 92,891 votes while former Prime Minister ShahidKhaqan Abbas managed to get 44,314 votes.

NA-35 Bannu: Imran won with 24,317 votes defeating MMA candidate Akram Durrani, who had 22,514 votes.

NA-43 Karachi: Imran won with 91,358 votes with a heavy margin against MQM-P’s Ali Raza Abidi, who got only 24,082 votes.

NA-95 Mianwali: Imran defeated PML-N candidate Obaidullah Shadikhel in his home town by gaining 162,499 votes. The PML-N candidate bagged just 49,505 votes.

NA-131 Lahore: Imran gained 84,313 votes and won by close margin against PML-N’s Khawaja Saad Rafique, who got 83,633 votes. This was, hands down, the toughest battle for Imran this elections, and the win margins were few and far between too.

PM Imran’s career has been decorated. He has won major accolades as a sportsman and as a philanthropist.

Sports – Apart from being the World Cup 1992 winning captain, Khan also received a Hilal-e-Imtiaz and a Pride of Performance award in 1983. He was also inducted in the International Cricket Council (ICC) Hall of Fame in 2010.

Philanthropy – Imran Khan established the Shaukat Khanum Cancer Hospital and Research Centre to combat the disease of cancer, while he also serves as the president of Namal College in Mianwali. He has also served as the UNICEF special representative for sports.

Moreover, Khan is a recipient of Humanitarian award and Asian sports awards in 2007, while he also received Jinnah award in 2011.

And now he is the Prime Minister of Pakistan. Do you think he will be able to keep the promises he has made throughout his political career?</s>In 1992 when Imran Khan kissed the Cricket World Cup trophy, it was almost unimaginable that a playboy of yesteryears would one day hold Pakistan’s top post. Known for his affairs with numerous women in the early nineties, Khan’s transformation from a man-about-town image to a crusader against corruption is a remarkable journey. His leadership skills which were widely applauded by the Pakistani public, especially for his selection of the World Cup Teams are once again back in focus. The then captain of Pakistan team is now set to lead almost 20 million people of the Islamic republic.

READ | Imran Khan sworn in as Pakistan's new Prime Minister

When Khan retired from international cricket, Pakistan establishment was dealing with some of the contentious issues such as corruption, poverty, excessive taxes and complex international relations. Every party in Pakistan, in opposition or in power, was accused of graft. It was the very time, the flamboyant ‘Pathan’ saw a political vacuum in the theocratic state and made all efforts to make his outfit a better alternative to the existing political parties.

Imran's affairs with TV anchors, actresses and artists were well known. However, he put an end to his happy-go-lucky lifestyle when he decided to marry Jemima Goldsmith, daughter of a British business tycoon and anti-Europe crusader Sir James Goldsmith in 1995. Imran’s second marriage with Pakistani journalist Reham Khan didn’t last long. The continuous rift between the couple took their relationship to an end just after nine months. They broke up when Reham alleged that Imran had fathered many children and also was a homosexual. Khan later went on to marry for the third time, a spiritualist Bushra Maneka in 2018.

Imran’s political approach -- from establishing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in 1996 to winning elections for the first time in 2002 and again in 2013 -- has more or less been socialist. In fact, much of Khan’s transformation in public life was drawn from various welfare schemes, especially his health care facilities in various cities for the cancer patients. However, ‘magnanimity’ in him was not inbred. It all happened after he lost his mother Shaukat Khanum to cancer. Struck by the tragedy, Khan built his first cancer hospital in Lahore in 1994 and named it after her.

Another important aspect of Imran’s image is his adherence to his roots -- Islam and Pashtun tribe. Soon after his mother’s demise, Imran turned religious and followed Islam very seriously. In one of his speeches as a budding leader, Khan had said, “It is very unfortunate that we have to bend before the world. We are bending before America, banks and sometimes even other nations. I want to tell you, Tehreek-e-Insaf only bends before Allah and no one else.” The attire of Imran as a leader was also changed then. The young and charming Imran who used to wear T-Shirts and jeans was now seen in white Salwar Kameez.

The new look and outlook of Khan gradually recognised in Pakistan society. Since Pakistan came into existence, the Muslim right wing there has always been a dominant force. In fact, in 1985 when Pakistan, military ruler General Zia-ul-Haq conducted a referendum on the Islamisation of democracy, 97.71 per cent of voters supported the policy with the voter turnout being 62.15 per cent. Imran’s leniency towards religion helped him gain more popularity in the Islamised democracy of Pakistan.

Imran Khan was keenly watching the constantly changing political scenario starting from 1977 when elections took place in Pakistan for the first time. He observed that in the nineties all regimes ended up having corruption charges against it. This gave the ‘watchful’ military an advantage in overpowering the governments.

Elections in Pakistan always had an upper hand of military leadership, may it be Ayyub Khan or Zia-ul-Haq or Pervez Musharraf. Be it in the name of corruption or in coup, Army Generals have overthrown almost all governments in Pakistan. Their next step would be to assert themselves as the President, conduct elections and select a make do Prime Minister.

In 1988, the Benazir Bhutto government which came to power after elections faced severe opposition by Nawaz Sharif-led muslim right-wing group. The ISI also supported Nawaz in an unsuccessful attempt of the no-confidence vote to remove Benazir from power. But if the country’s intelligence doesn’t want a person for the top post then they will go to any extent to turn the tables. And in Pakistan, it takes very little effort.

In 1990, the Bhutto government was dismissed in a coup and elections were held. Nawaz Sharif became the Prime Minister. The decade saw a constant shift of power from Bhutto-led Pakistan People’s Party to coalition governments led by Nawaz Sharif. In 1997, Nawaz Sharif came to power and tried to gain more strength. Media was restricted, Chief Justice of Pakistan Supreme Court, Army Chief, and President all were made to quit under pressure with intent to place his own men on those positions. He was overthrown by General Pervez Musharraf, an act which was later justified by the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s birth can be accredited to this corrupt, military-oriented administrative system. People were tired of every regime be it civilian or military, and PTI came into existence with a promise of a corruption-free governance.

Tehreek-e-Insaf contested the 1997 election with much enthusiasm and tried to prove an alternative to Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz). Khan launched scathing attacks against corruption and often spoke about Islam in his speech. PTI, then being a year old party, wasn’t able to perform in the election and lost on all seats.

In 2002 Imran again contested from Lahore. PTI suffered yet another blow with just 1.7 per cent of votes but Imran alone won. In his first National Assembly speech, Khan said, “The biggest resource for Pakistan is the overseas Pakistani citizens. When PM Nawaz came to meet me in the hospital I told him that we will oppose you wherever public money is involved.” He went on to speak on various issues including terrorism and said it is their responsibility as a religious community to tackle it. “The business in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa region is all gone. The only business remaining there is extortion.”

After boycotting the 2008 election for allegedly being rigged Imran started to appear as a major player. Form 2011 onwards PTI started appearing as a stronger force. Imran held massive rallies across Lahore to attract youth. Sensing the mood of the public and especially the younger generation which was tired of the two political parties (PPP and PML-N), PTI offered them hope. Many leaders from these two parties and other small outfits, who didn’t see any future for their political life, also joined Imran.

On October 30, 2011, Imran Khan held a massive rally in Lahore, considered to be a home turf of Nawaz Sharif and PML(N) stronghold. With more than one lakh in attendance, the local media described the rally a ‘Tsunami of Imran Khan’. Later, Khan pledged a Naya Pakistan (New Pakistan) during a rally in 2013 and also made six poll promises -- to be truthful to people, to end tyranny, never take money out of country, never take any personal benefits from the government, protect tax money and security for every Pakistani around the world.

PTI subsequently won 34 out of 99 seats on which they contested and emerged as a major opposition in the National Assembly.

Since his transformation from cricketer to politician, Imran Khan has always been a sympathiser of his native Pashtun tribe. In his opinion, Taliban is a religious fundamentalist organisation which never attacked anyone internationally.

He has been often dubbed as ‘Taliban Khan’ by the Pakistani Secularist. In a discussion organised by The Guardian in 2010 Khan said, “There was no militant Taliban in Pakistan, the CIA trained Osama-bin-laden was in Afghanistan, so why Pakistan is the most dangerous place today? In my opinion, the military operations created Taliban. The real enemy was al-Qaeda, Taliban had no role in terrorism and no Pashtun has ever been capable of hitting international targets. Not separating the two was the mistake of America.”

Imran had also opposed the drone attacks and held the United States responsible for creating militant Taliban. Khan too has been an advocate of peace talks. He played a key role in inviting Taliban for peace talks and even allowed them to open an office in the country. In 2013 he even called Taliban leader Wali ur-Rehman for peace talks. According to the Obama administration, Wali-ur-Rehman was involved in the killing of seven CIA officials and Jordanian intelligence personnel in 2009. He carried a USD 5 million bounty on his head.

Imran’s relations with India has been friendly so far. May it be during cricket matches or giving interviews to news channels. In an interaction with a news channel in India in 2016, he denied any knowledge of 26/11 mastermind Zakir-ur-Rehman Lakhvi and said India has faced far less terrorist attacks than Pakistan for past 10 years. However, he said, the attack on the Army public school in Peshawar in which 144 people mostly schoolchildren changed the mindset of the country and it was too making efforts in the war on terror.

In another interview in India just before the elections, Imran had said he would disengage Pakistan from the American war on terror and refuse any sort of help sought. In an interview to ‘New York Times’, he went ahead to justify Pakistan Army and said the forces have always been the enemy of Pakistan. During his campaign, Imran had supported the army saying the military won’t stand before a credible leader. In the speech given immediately after the election results, Khan’s vouched for stronger International relations America and China. He asserted that relations with these two nations must be maintained and stressed that Pakistan has a lot to learn from China. India came last on his list of foreign relations.

Khan’s view on Indo-Pak relations seemed much like what every government in both the nations tries to do -- dialogue. But his stand on Kashmir and army seemed to be unchanged even after the elections. He said Kashmiris has suffered a lot due to constant human rights violations by the Indian army for over 30 years.

The new government in Pakistan will come into power with a lot of expectations, not only from the Pakistani citizens but also from the world. With army always trying an upper hand on the government it will be interesting to see how the promised ‘New Pakistan’ emerges.</s>Islamabad: Former cricket star Imran Khan was sworn-in as prime minister of Pakistan on Saturday, taking on the challenge of forming a coalition to govern as a currency crisis looms over the turbulent, nuclear-armed South Asian country.

Khan won the national election last month promising to fight corruption and drastically reduce poverty among Pakistan's 208 million mostly-Muslim people.

Hours after the oath-taking, Khan's office released a partial list of his choice of cabinet ministers and also announced the candidate for the office of president.

Asad Umer, former CEO of Pakistani multinational Engro, was appointed to the post of finance minister, party vice chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi to head the foreign office and former chief minister of the northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province Pervez Khattak was given charge of the defence ministry.

Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), or Justice Party, picked party stalwart Arif Alvi as its presidential candidate. The president will be voted in by lawmakers from Pakistan's upper and lower houses and the four provincial assemblies next month.</s>ISLAMABAD, Aug 17 (APP):Imran Khan, the former cricket hero who rose to shine winning the cricket World Cup title for Pakistan in 1992, is now the country’s new Prime Minister-elect and is all set to take oath of his office on Saturday.

 Imran, 65, once popular for his exceptional fast bowling and great all-rounding talent, has recently made a mark at the political pitch, with his party Tehreek-e-Insaf bagging majority seats in general election 2018.

 Imran Khan’s political journey spanning over two decades bears several highs and lows. The party that failed to win any seat in 1997 elections and later won a single seat in 2002 polls, has gained a foothold in 2018 with 158 seats in the 342-member National Assembly. The phoenix has finally risen from the ashes.

 Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi was born in 1952 in Mianwali to Ikramullah Khan Niazi and Shaukat Khanum (Burki). Though his parents got settled in Lahore during his childhood, Imran Khan takes pride of his background as the descendant of Pashtun (Pathan) Niazi tribe of the Shermankhel clan, as per his autobiography ‘Warrior Race: A Journey Through the Land of the Tribal Pathans’.

 Being the only son to his parents along with four sisters, Imran Khan completed his schooling from Aitchison College, Lahore and went to Royal Grammar School Worcester, England to pursue higher studies. He graduated in philosophy, politics and economics from Keble College, University of Oxford in 1975.

 Hailing from a cricketing family of Pakistan team captains Javed Burki and Majid Khan, Imran Khan made his test debut in the 1971 English series in Birmingham and in One Day International (ODI) in 1974. After becoming captain in 1982, he led his team to its first Test victory against England at Lord’s after 28 years.

 In 1992, Khan achieved his greatest athletic success by winning the country’s maiden World Cup title, defeating England in the final. He retired the same year, having secured a reputation as one of the greatest cricket players in history.

 He entered politics in 1996 by setting up his own party ‘Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’ (PTI) as an initiative to eradicate mismanagement and corruption in the country. He contested the October 2002 elections and was elected as a Member of Parliament from Mianwali.

 During the 2013 election campaign, Imran Khan launched the ‘Naya Pakistan Resolution’, posing a threat to the main Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and accused it of mass corruption and mismanagement.

 In 2018 polls, the PTI emerged as the leading party with 158 seats and with the support of its allies, the tally stands at 175.

 In the field of philanthropy, Imran Khan has established Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospitals and founded Namal College, an associate college of the University of Bradford.

 The cricketer-turned philanthropist and a politician is now poised to turn the tide as a prime minister with his vision of a ‘New Pakistan’ that promises a just society, strong democracy and rule of law.</s>Aug. 17 (UPI) -- Imran Khan, the leader of the Pakistan's Tehreek-i-Insaf Party, is poised to become the country's 22nd prime minister.

The 65-year-old cricketer-turned politician is favored to win Friday's National Assembly vote. His PTI party emerged as the country's leading party in the July 25 election.

Khan needs a simple majority to be confirmed. The assembly will choose between he and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif, the former chief minister of Punjab and younger brother of former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Khan won the July 25 vote, but his party did not gain enough seats for a majority, forcing him to align with other groups to form a coalition government.

Nawaz Sharif, who was Pakistan's prime minister for three separate terms between 1990 and 2017, has said the July vote was rigged against his brother, and that his party protests Khan's victory.

The Pakistan People's Party asked the PML-N to nominate someone else as a candidate after Sharif was accused of saying derogatory remarks against PPP co-chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari.

Khan helped lead the country to a cricket World Cup win in 1992 and formed the PTI four years later. If elected, his government will be Pakistan's third consecutive democratic government since 2008.
Imran Khan, the chairman of the Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, is elected as the Prime Minister of Pakistan.