Khan, 59, is riding a wave of discontent with the Government of President Asif Ali Zardari, who faces a Challenger from political opponents and military over the handling of the troubled country and the Alliance with the United States.
In a rousing speech that is interspersed with patriotic musical refrains, he promised, if elected, to curb endemic corruption and Pakistan called the surge in popularity as a “tsunami.”
“He is riding a wave of popular politics now,” said Mutahir Ahmed, a Professor of international relations at Karachi University, told Reuters. “There are a lot of frustration among ordinary people, as well as political workers now, he’s cashed in on.”
Several opinion polls recently have shown Khan is the most popular politicians entered politics in 1996, four years after he was captain of Pakistan cricket team just to reach the World Cup.
However, popularity has not always translated into influence. the last 15 years, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI), or movement for Justice, Pakistan just briefly held a seat in Parliament-Khan himself. Most analysts say Khan was able to score the upset of 20-30 seats in Parliament, but that’s not enough to give him the Prime Minister. It is enough to make it a major political player, however — or even the kingmaker.