Imran Khan, Strongest Contender to Lead Pakistan, Is No Shoo-In<br />By SALMAN MASOODJULY 30, 2017<br />ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — In 1992, when Pakistan won its only Cricket World Cup, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was asked by a television<br />host if the team captain, Imran Khan, a national heartthrob, would be right for his party if Mr. Khan went into politics.<br />" Mr. Yusuf said, his party "still has a clear edge going into the next elections." Other analysts say the country’s powerful generals might be reluctant to see Mr. Khan in power.<br />that If Nawaz manages a smooth transition to the next prime minister,<br />said he worried that "this could be Imran’s Trump moment." "What I mean is<br />that you are a leader of a party or campaign and you have basically defied all odds to secure a major political victory," he said, "and now you could be in a situation where you feel you do not have to take counsel from the people who are going to advise patience, advise taking the long course, rather than declaring victory and overplaying your hand." that Mr. Yusuf, of the United States Institute of Peace,<br />But since the last elections, Mr. Khan has been at the forefront of political opposition to Mr. Sharif, portraying him as the face of the status quo<br />and corrupt practices that have gnawed at the political system.<br />But there is skepticism that the courts will reach a decisive verdict against the Sharif family and speculation<br />that even if Mr. Sharif cannot run again, his Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Party will continue to dominate Parliament.<br />"PML-N will be allowed to limp to the end of its tenure." Mr. Khan too faces cases against him in the Supreme Court<br />and the election commission, stemming from accusations of hiding assets and of foreign funding of his political party.
