TIME

TheBrief TIME with ... Cricket hero Imran Khan led Pakistan’s team to victory. As a politician, he’s riding a populist wave

THE POTHOLED ROAD TO IMRAN KHAN’S HOME IN Islamabad curls for a mile up a steep hill, where the cricketer turned politician can escape the dust, fumes and backstabbing of Pakistan’s sprawling capital below. The lofty setting gives his converted farmhouse a fortresslike perch—one that hums with the energy of “a government in waiting,” Khan says.

The world once knew Khan as the Oxford-educated playboy who captained Pakistan to its only Cricket World Cup victory, in 1992, and married British heiress Jemima Goldsmith, a close friend of Princess Diana’s. But after two decades in his country’s turbulent political arena, Khan, 65, has a real shot at running the country.

On July 25, Pakistan chooses a new government in general elections. To become

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from TIME

TIME2 min readAmerican Government
Bolsonaro And Trump, Apart Yet Together
A president facing a tough fight for re-election warns his followers that corrupt elites want to steal power from them. He loses the election and calls on his supporters to defend him. Unable to block the transfer of power, he retreats to Florida. Hi
TIME3 min read
5 Things Therapists Do When They Feel Lonely
True friendships can take years to develop—which isn’t exactly comforting to the 1 in 3 U.S. adults who say they are lonely right now. But you don’t need to wait for a new BFF to feel better. Small acts can help give you immediate relief from lonelin
TIME9 min read
Artists
She moves with a lightness in a heavy world—bold, playful, and self-aware. She is thoughtfully outspoken for the oppressed and displaced. She founded an influential editorial platform, Service95, to cover cultural topics and address humanitarian conc

Related Books & Audiobooks