Imran Khan offers prayers of gratitude after being elected PM

ISLAMABAD: Soon after being elected as the 22nd prime minister of the country, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan went to his chamber in the parliament and offered prayers of gratitude, ARY News reported.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief received 176 votes during the election for 22nd prime minister of the country against PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif’s 96 votes during the National Assembly session today.

Khan, clad in a waistcoat and traditional white shalwar kameez garments, smiled broadly and could be seen wiping tears from his eyes while clutching prayer beads as the count was announced.

Soon after being elected PM, the PTI chief did a short speech in which he vowed to fulfill all his election promises in order to put the country on path of development of reform as visioned by founder Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah.

After the session, the 65-year-old cricketer-turned-politician went to his chamber in parliament and offered Shukranay K Nawafil (prayers of gratitude).

For the cricket legend-turned-politician, his party’s first place in a national election and becoming country’s prime minister, is the culmination of a battle that started more than two decades ago.

For years, he was dismissed as a political dilettante who could not convert his personal popularity into significant seats in parliament for the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), or Pakistan Movement for Justice, he founded.

Analysts say, as prime minister, Khan would be tested on several fronts, from dealing with an urgent foreign currency shortage to managing a tense relationship with the United States.