Political ideology

 

Domestic policies

Adopting his broader paradigm from the poet-philosopher Muhammad Iqbal and the Iranian writer-sociologist Ali Shariati he encountered in his youth; Khan is generally described as a Pakistani nationalist as well as a populist. Khan's proclaimed political platform and declarations include Islamic values, to which he rededicated himself in the 1990s; liberal economics, with the promise of deregulating the economy and creating a welfare state; decreased bureaucracy and the implementation of anti-corruption laws to create and ensure a clean government; the establishment of an independent judiciary; overhaul of the country's police system; and an anti-militant vision for a democratic Pakistan.

After the result of 2018 Pakistani general election, Khan said he would try to remake Pakistan based on the ideology of Muhammad Ali Jinnah. During his government, Khan addressed a balance of payments crisis with a bailout from the IMF. He presided over a shrinking current account deficit, and limited defence spending to curtail the fiscal deficit, leading to some general economic growth. He enacted policies that increased tax collection in Pakistan, as well as investments, and the energy policy of Pakistan under Khan saw his government committed to a renewable energy transition. Khan's government also launched the social safety net and poverty alleviation Ehsaas Programme and the Plant for Pakistan initiative, which expanded the protected areas of Pakistan, and he presided over the COVID-19 pandemic in Pakistan, which caused economic turmoil and rising inflation in the country and threatened Khan's political position.

Khan's failure to revive the economy of Pakistan and the rising inflation rate caused him political problems. Despite his promised anti-corruption campaign, the perception of corruption in Pakistan worsened during his rule. He was accused of political victimisation of opponents and clamping down on freedom of expression and dissent. On 10 April 2022, Khan became the country's first prime minister to be ousted through a no-confidence motion vote in parliament. On 22 August 2022, Khan was charged by the Pakistani police under anti-terror laws after Khan accused the police and judiciary of detaining and torturing his close aide.