Neither yes nor no! Imran parries question about marriage

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan has dodged the question about his marriage plans when he addressed a public rally in Chakwal.

When asked by journalists in Chakwal that reports of his wedding were making rounds, would be deny or confirm, he parried the question. He was there to address a public meeting in connection with a by-election in the district.

While there was a deafening silence in the ranks of the PTI on the news of secret wedding of Imran Khan with his ‘spiritual guide’, party MNA Dr Shireen Mazari tweeted it was Imran’s personal business and no one else’s.

“For the record, it is Chairman Imran Khan’s personal business and no one else’s as to when with whom and where he decides to marry,” she said in a tweet. She also wrote: “Ridiculous! when the SC deprives IK detractors from doing accusatory stories of corruption, they create stories of his marriage! Somewhat pathetic too!”

On its part, the PTI central media department, which keeps on sending statements of party leaders and their reactions daily on various issues, issued nothing, except for a statement by PTI spokesman Fawad Chaudhry about Nawaz Sharif’s Kot Momin public meeting. However, none from the party came up on Saturday to reject the report or condemn it being false and incorrect.

This correspondent tried to take version from some PTI leaders, who chose not to speak on this matter, being widely discussed on social media and of course on electronic media.

In a Geo show, however, Bushra Manika’s son Musa Manika while confirming separation between his mother and father, rejected reports of his mother’s marriage with Imran. Khan had married Jemima in 1995 but the wedding ended in 2004, followed by his second marriage with TV anchorperson Reham Khan in January 2015. This ‘partnership’ also did not last even for a year.

Mufti Saeed who had performed his nikah with Reham, had also denied whether Imran had married Reham on January 08 or a few months earlier. He also reportedly solemnised the PTI chief’s third marriage in Lahore on January 01, 2018, which he neither confirmed nor denied, when asked by The News journalist Umar Cheema, who broke the wedding story.

It is reported that as a reward for performing Imran’s Nikah with Reham and then not uttering a word on it, he was made a member of the PTI core committee.

“Awn Chaudhry, Imran’s aide, tweeted dubbed the wedding report irresponsible, yellow journalism, as he had denied categorically the veracity of “this planted gossip.”

It remains to be understood why none from Imran’s large team of spokespersons issued a formal statement on this development.