Two years after he was ousted in a no-confidence vote, Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan continues to loom large over the country’s politics.

Even though the 71-year-old is barred from running in the 8 February general election, he continues to be a powerful force dividing the Muslim majority country. For some of its 240 million population, he is an anti-establishment hero. To his opponents, he is power-hungry and corrupt.

Khan first rose to international fame on the cricket pitch, before shedding his playboy past and embarking on a decade-long marriage with billionaire heiress Jemima Goldsmith in a story captured in the pages of Hello! magazine.

His career in politics began soon after, but it took years for him to make a serious impression. By the time he was elected PM in July 2018 he had long cultivated an image as a pious reformer and widened his appeal with promises to fight corruption and fix the ailing economy.

Barely four years in, he was kicked out of office by opponents in parliament, making him the first prime minister in Pakistan’s history to be ousted in a vote of no-confidence.

Pakistanis were frustrated that his pledges to build an “Islamic welfare state” went unmet – leaving them to pay through their noses for food. Reports also said he had fallen out of favour with the powerful military, a crucial behind-the-scenes player in the nuclear-armed country.

Imran Khan’s lawyers say he is now battling more than 170 legal cases, including charges for corruption and terrorism. He calls the charges a politically-motivated attempt to keep him off the ballot.