After retiring as Pakistan's most celebrated cricket player, Imran Khan has dabbled on the margins of Pakistani politics for nearly two decades, trying to make a mark.
The sportsman turned philanthropist who led a playboy lifestyle in his younger days has attracted endless media attention but until now neither he nor his movement has had any real impact.
As Pakistanis vote in a crucial parliamentary election on Saturday, could this time be different?
Watching Khan in the final stretch of the race is to see a man who found it impossible to stop campaigning. His critics have called him a political dilettante in the past, but he now seemed addicted to the center of the political arena as the blue jean and T-shirt clad youth of the country mobilized behind him and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI party. He has benefited as discontent with the traditional political elite has begun to boil over.
The former national cricket team captain looked supremely confident in the final weeks of the campaign, relishing the throngs of supporters and sparring with television anchors.
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Pakistani Politician Imran Khan Falls From Lift During Campaign