• Home

Imran-Reham divorce with mutual consent

Islamabad - Reports regarding collapse of their marriage were circulating in the media for a while.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan and his wife Reham Khan have divorced with mutual consent, party spokesperson Naeemul Haq said on Friday.
"PTI chairman Imran Khan and Reham Khan have decided to divorce by mutual consent. Due to the sensivity and seriousness of this extremely painful matter it is requested that the media should refrain from any speculation. There will be no further communication in this respect," Naeemul Haq said on Facebook.
Reham, 42, who had flown to London on Thursday night tweeted on Friday morning that she and Imran have decided to part ways. Geo TV later quoted her as saying that intentions for divorce have been expressed though the process of divorce has yet to be finalised.
Imran also confirmed reports and tweeted: "This is a painful time for me & Reham & our families. I would request everyone to respect our privacy."
Later, reacting to media speculations in an another tweet Imran said: "I have the greatest respect for Reham's moral character & her passion to work for & help the underprivileged. Reports & speculation about financial settlements are absolutely false and shameful".
Reports regarding collapse of their marriage were circulating in the media for a while. Last month, the PTI chairman rejected a media report suggesting his marriage with Reham Khan was on the rocks.
"I am shocked at a TV channel making a slanderous statement about my marriage. I strongly urge the media to desist from such baseless statements," the PTI chief tweeted. The media was reporting that Reham had shifted from Imran's Banni Gala residence in Islamabad because she was "not welcome there any longer."
They had married on January 8 this year.
For both it was their second marriage. Imran had earlier married Jemima Marcelle Goldsmith also known as Jemima Khan when she embraced Islam before marriage, an English journalist, heiress, and campaigner. Imran divorced his first wife in 2004. Both continue to maintain a respectful relationship. They have two sons who live with mother and are studying in London.
Reham's previous marriage with Ijaz Rehman ended after 15 years as the couple divorced in 2005. She has a son and two daughters, the elder son and daughter live in London with father and are studying in London. The youngest accompanied her when she left for London on Thursday night.
The report, citing the editor of a local daily newspaper, claimed that Imran had recently returned from London where he had recently stayed with his children and Jemima.
The relationship with Reham, already on the rocks, had worsened since Imran returned to Pakistan.
Imran and Reham's relationship was a topic of controversy from the very start. Soon after the couple married, Reham's ex-husband, NHS psychiatrist Dr Ijaz Rehman strongly denied allegations he had mistreated her during their marriage. "I have never been involved in any kind of domestic violence in any shape or form," said Dr Ijaz, with whom she has three children. "I always looked after my children," Dr Ijaz said and claimed she used him "like toilet paper to clean up her image".
The divorce immediately became a burning topic in the country flooding TV channels and social media. Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah was quick to remark that nobody can get on with Imran for long. When some other PML-N leaders passed similar remarks, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif took serious notice of their statements on what he termed as a personal matter and directed all party leaders to desist from making any comment.
The immediate cause of separation is a matter of speculations. Six months in, rumours that the marriage was falling apart began to circulate. While the couple was seen together occasionally, Imran last month tweeted an apparent refutation of the rumours: "I am shocked at a TV channel making slanderous statement about my marriage. I strongly urge the media to desist from such baseless statements."
news@khaleejtimes.com