Cricket stars have pledged their support to the electoral campaign of their former colleague, Khan.
Many took to Twitter to laud Khan’s perks as a cricketer, claiming they will make him a great leader of the country.
Waist Akram, a former Pakistani cricketer considered one of the greatest bowlers of all time, wrote: “It was in your leadership skip @ImrankhanPTI that we became world champions in 1992.
“It is in your leadership that we can again become a great democratic country.”
Waqar Younis, former captain of the national team, added: “You have got what it takes Skipper @ImranKhanPTI but it will take everything you have…
“No one can doubt your Honesty and thats what is require in our country…
“An honest LEADER.”
Khan, the leader of PTI party calling for a crackdown on corruption and the creation of the welfare state, has also received support from cricketers outside the Pakistani border.
Former Australian star Dean Jones tweeted: “I am not a political person… but @ImranKhanPTI I would have loved to play under…. great leader and would do well for Pakistan if given the opportunity.”
Celebrities and sports stars have lent their support on social media with #BehindYouSkipper becoming one of Pakistan’s top trending topics on Twitter.
Khan became the country’s hero when he and his team won the World Cup in 1992.
And according to polls he now has a chance to become the Prime Minister of his nation, after entering politics more than two decades ago.
A poll conducted earlier this month on 3,753 people by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) showed PTI leading the race with 4 percentage points.
This is the first time since May that Khan’s main party opponent, the PML-N, is behind.
But as election day approaches, concerns the vote may be rigged have become louder.
The independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) warned there were “ample grounds to doubt” the legitimacy of the elections and criticised “blatant, aggressive and unabashed attempts to manipulate the outcome of the upcoming elections.”
Khan himself has been accused of being linked to the country’s powerful military.
Former Prime Minister and leader of the PML-N Nawaz Sharif claimed upon his arrest for corruption the military were aiding a “judicial witch-hunt” against his party.
After a pro-Sharif rally, Pakistani authorities launched an anti-terrorism investigation against PML-N leaders, and opened criminal cases against nearly 17,000 party members.
The country will be called to cast their ballot on Wednesday July 25.