Khan's foreign policy focused on promoting nationalistic and independent stances, particularly on issues like Pakistan's role in the War on Terror, the Kashmir dispute with India, and strengthening regional relations, especially with Gulf Cooperation Council states.

The military's growing involvement in crisis management was further underscored by an unnamed retired general who remarked that the army had to step in to fill the gap left by the civilian government's handling of the situation, indicating a shift in control.

His leadership shortcomings were compounded by internal government mismanagement, such as the mishandling of the quarantine situation at the Iran–Pakistan border and investigations into his health adviser, Dr Zafar Mirza, for allegedly being involved in smuggling face masks.

However, concerns were raised about a potential second wave of infections due to the reopening of tourist areas, with some regions seeing increased visits without strict adherence to standard operating procedures (SOPs).

[54] This policy of tax concessions was codified at least in the short term when Khan's government unveiled its budget for 2021–22, which had reduced customs duty on imports of inputs (raw materials) for final manufactured goods.

The government's decision to reduce or exempt customs duties and other taxes on inputs for final manufactured goods was part of a broader set of relief measures aimed at supporting industrial growth.

[68] In June 2020, Bloomberg reported that Imran Khan saw his "influence and popularity dwindle due to a slowing economy, high consumer prices and corruption investigations involving his close aides."

[75] Pakistan faced significant economic challenges during Khan's government, including an inflation rate of 11.5% as of November 2021, tax increases, higher energy prices, and the rupee trading at record lows against the dollar, all of which contributed to political criticism.

[88] Additionally, Khan's government twice denied Indian prime minister Narendra Modi permission to use Pakistan's airspace, citing alleged human rights violations in Indian-administered Kashmir.

[121] On 23 February 2022, Imran Khan became the first Pakistani prime minister in 20 years to visit Moscow, in a trip described as an opportunity to discuss economic cooperation and Pakistan's energy needs.

Upon his arrival, Khan was heard in a video clip telling officials, "What a time I have come... so much excitement," a statement that later appeared ill-timed as the visit coincided with the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

To address FATF recommendations, the government issued a Presidential Ordinance in December 2019, introducing significant changes to tax laws and imposing strict penalties to curb smuggling of currency, precious metals, and other valuables.

He further stated that in their attempt to secure an NRO by weakening the National Accountability Bureau, the opposition was willing to risk Pakistan being placed on the FATF blacklist, harming the economy and worsening poverty.

The Pakistan delegation, led by Hina Rabbani Khar, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in First Shehbaz Sharif government, participated in the FATF Plenary meetings in Berlin, where the country's progress was reviewed and celebrated, especially the early completion of the 2021 Action Plan.

"[167] In 2020, following national outrage over the September assault of a woman who was dragged from her car and raped at gunpoint in front of her children, Khan called for public hanging and chemical castration of convicted rapists.

[169] In June 2021, Khan caused controversy when he suggested that the rise in rape cases in Pakistan was linked to women wearing "very few clothes," claiming that such behavior would "have an impact on the men unless they are robots."

[179] According to an editorial published in The Nation in September 2022, the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) discovered over Rs3.49 billion in irregularities during the three-year special audit of the PTI flagship 10-Billion Tree Tsunami Project (BTTP).

[180] In 2019, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) in its World Report stated that the government continued to "muzzle dissenting voices in nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and media on the pretext of national security."

[182] Earlier, the interior ministry claimed there was a "targeted social media campaign planned/executed" during the visit of the Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and ordered an inquiry into online criticism after a similar probe proposal had been "thwarted" 20-days before by the government.

[191] In December 2020, Shibli Faraz, the information minister in Khan's government, announced that Pakistan had initiated legal proceedings to extradite Nawaz Sharif, who had been convicted of corruption in the Panama Papers case.

[198][199] While public scrutiny over the sugar scam was a major factor in Khan distancing himself from Tareen, the dynamics within PTI, including power struggles over policy matters like the IMF bailout, also contributed to the breakdown of their relationship.

[218] Additionally, documents revealed that Khan's 12 foreign trips across three continents cost a total of $680,000, which was significantly lower than the expenses for a single visit to New York by former president Asif Ali Zardari ($1.1 million) or former prime minister Nawaz Sharif ($901,250).

In June 2019, locust swarms entered Pakistan from neighboring Iran, quickly devastating large areas of agricultural land in southwestern districts, ravaging crops such as cotton, wheat, and maize.

The motion was signed by 86 opposition lawmakers, including Shahbaz Sharif, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Ayaz Sadiq, Rana Sanaullah, Naveed Qamar, and Shazia Marri.

The letter, a cipher received from Pakistan's Ambassador to the US, Asad Majeed, reportedly contained a warning from US official Donald Lu about the impact of Khan's continued leadership on US-Pakistan bilateral relations.

[236] On 5 April 2022, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova criticized the United States for "another attempt of shameless interference" in Pakistan's internal affairs, alleging it sought to punish a "disobedient" Imran Khan.

Zakharova stated that on 7 March, a senior US official, identified in Pakistani media as Donald Lu, condemned Pakistan's balanced stance on Ukraine and implied that US-Pakistan relations were contingent on Khan's removal.

Despite serious concern from the legal wing, who stated that the diplomatic cypher came under the purview of the Official Secrets Act, 1923, and that disclosing it could violate the Prime Minister's oath under Article 91(5) of the Constitution, Khan proceeded with sending it to the Chief Justice.

While he expressed his willingness to work with the US if re-elected, and said he wanted a "dignified" relationship, critics, including Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, contended that Khan's past actions and rhetoric had damaged Pakistan's external relations.

Some critics also pointed out that Khan's anti-American rhetoric had helped bolster his popularity among certain segments of the population, but his shift in stance might now be a calculated effort to regain broader political support.