As polls predict that Mr Khan is neck-and-neck with his lead opponent ahead of Wednesday’s vote, the charismatic political outsider in Pakistan has his best chance of becoming prime minister and upsetting the long-term grip of the Sharif and Bhutto families.
“We will change Pakistan – we will end corruption,” Mr Khan told cheering crowds at a rally at the weekend, one of several held across Punjab, the country’s biggest province, on the same night.
More than 20 years after Mr Khan founded his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, his anti-corruption message has struck a note with young urban voters in this election, while people from rural areas have been attracted to his socially conservative views on issues such as the country’s strict blasphemy laws.
