Imran Khan marries again?

ISLAMABAD: Imran Khan has secretly married again, this time with a woman he used to visit for spiritual guidance, The News has learnt on good authority.

The PTI chairman inaugurated 2018 by tying the knot with the woman on the night of January 1 in Lahore and came straight from there the next day to appear before the anti-terrorism court in Islamabad that granted him bail.

The nikah was performed by Mufti Saeed, a member of PTI core committee, who was also the nikah khawan when Imran publicly entered into marriage with Reham Khan on January 8, 2015 amid reports of secret nikah in November 2014. Awn Chaudhry and Naeemul Haq though denied the report of the new marriage, the Mufti was reluctant to either confirm or reject this when approached by The News.

The political secretary of the PTI chief, Awn, is believed to have attended the ceremony, something he outright denied during conversation with this correspondent. He also dismissed that the nikah took place. “I have been with Khan to Lahore (on the said dates),” Awn claimed. The News has verified from multiple sources about Awn’s presence in the nikah ceremony. He was also a witness during Imran’s marriage with Reham.

Naeemul Haq, spokesman for the party head, dispelled this impression. Considering my 35-year-long association and keeping in view the fact that I have been privy to his personal life, he noted, I can say with absolute confidence that nothing like this occurred. Even if he marries, he will do after the general elections of 2018, Naeem said.

However, Mufti Saeed was hesitant to issue any denial. The News first approached him on Thursday night to confirm the veracity of information. “I will not say anything on this matter. Please accept my apology,” he said parroting the same line he did when approached after Imran’s marriage with Reham Khan. As this correspondent had conversation with him again Friday morning, he took the same position. But he didn’t reply when explicitly asked three times that would he like to reject the information of having performed nikah of Imran Khan on January 1 in Lahore.

The ceremony took place in Sector Y of Defence Housing Authority, Lahore, at the residence of a close confidante of the bride who also happens to be a friend of a PTI leader. The bride herself lives in Gulberg 3.

The bride filed for the dissolution of her marriage with a government servant some months back. Her former husband confirmed the separation which, he said, they opted for spiritual reasons. He, however, denied her former wife has married Imran.

Imran came in touch with the lady for spiritual guidance a couple of years ago that eventually culminated in the marriage. This is third marriage of Imran Khan. He had first tied the knots with Jemima Khan on May 16, 1995 that ended in divorce after nine years on June 22, 2004. His second marriage was with Reham Khan, then a TV anchor, which continued barely 10 months. Although that marriage was publicly announced on January 8, 2015, there were reports that a nikah had also taken place in early November 2015. Mufti Saeed who was also nikah khawan of that marriage had not commented when asked about the ceremony of November 2015. “Leave that matter,” he had then replied to The News.

Imran, on the other hand, was initially dismissive of marriage with Reham when it was first reported by a senior journalist. “The reports of my marriage are greatly exaggerated,” was his famous tweet on December 31, 2014. Only eight days later, he confirmed it through a public ceremony.