Pir attempts to save boxer Amir Khan’s marriage

LONDON: British Pakistani boxer Amir Khan and his estranged wife Faryal Makhdoom have turned to a Pakistani spiritual leader in a bid to save their marriage who has told the couple that their Islamic divorce remains incomplete and ineffective, advising them to reconsider.

Pir Saqib Shaami from Birmingham, who delivers lectures in English and Urdu, has links with both Amir Khan and Faryal Makhdoom and has been in touch with the couple and parents of Amir Khan.

However, this scribe has learnt that Amir Khan has told Faryal Makhdoom that their relationship is no more workable and its best for them to go separate ways. Amir Khan is of the view that his wife has been unfair to him, her family held him hostage, and he believes that his wife will soon go to the court for a heavy divorce settlement--for which he is ready to put up a legal fight. 

Faryal Makhdoom wanted to meet Pir Shaami, but he refused to meet her in the absence of a mehrem, saying it was “against the teachings of Islam” for him to meet her. Faryal tweeted and then deleted:  “I respect & trust Shaykh Saqib Shaami as much as Amir does. He has not been biased previously & will do justice. I also respect Shaykh Saqib Shaami’s Islamic position of not meeting women to stop spreading false rumours on social media”.

Friends of Khan have said he spoke to the leader repeatedly over recent months and expressed his desire to leave Faryal before taking her to Dubai on the Pir’s advice. The boxer is said to have told him that the relationship was unhealthy--but the spiritual leader asked him to be patient and work it out. Now, Pir Shaami has told both that they should hold their attacks and be patient. Amir Khan has now flown to San Francisco for work while Faryal is in Bolton at the family home. 

The spiritual leader has been providing guidance to the Khan family for years and has told both Amir and Faryal that they were equally to blame for their troubles. The fighter sought “a spiritual explanation of his actions as a solace” after the guru told him about his wrong actions, a source told The News.

The source said: “To Amir he explained what the rights of women are, what his wrongdoings were and why he should seek forgiveness and to Faryal he has said she has equal share to blame for deterioration of relations and that she has been wrong too.”

The couple married in 2013 at New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel, with rights to the £800,000 bash sold to a glossy mag. Khan has been approached for comment. Amir Khan attended Pakistan’s Independence Day celebrations at the Manchester Consulate with his father and spoke to Pakistani media, but he has not been seen in public.