Imran cheated on me, Reham tells The Times

LONDON: Imran Khan’s former wife Reham Khan has accused him of being unfaithful to her while being married to her, after the PTI leader confirmed that he has entered his third marriage with Bushra Wattoo, 50.

Imran Khan, 66, married Bushra Wattoo, 50, his faith healer and spiritual guide, on 1st January 2018 at a secret ceremony in Lahore, attended by his friend Zulfi Bukhari, political secretary Awn Chaudhary and a selected few from Bushra Wattoo’s side.

Reham Khan, who was married to Imran Khan for a year till divorce in the end of 2015, told The Times that the relationship between Imran Khan and Bushra Wattoo had begun before her 10-month marriage ended in divorce in 2015. “Imran Khan was in contact with Bushra three years ago when I was his wife and he is not a truthful man,” Ms Khan, 44, told The Times. “I knew they married on 1 January, and he revealed it later, this is exactly what he did after marrying me and then announcing it after two months,” The Times quoted her as saying.

Reham Khan said: “Mr Khan is my ex but he is disrespecting Pakistan, indulging in affairs even when he was married with me. This move is the fragmentation of PTI.”

Reham Khan claimed that Imran Khan and Bushra Wattoo were having an extramarital affair for years. She claimed that both Ms Wattoo and Ms Wattoo's ex-husband, as well as Khan's staff, had confirmed that Khan had met his new wife while married to his second. “These are the words of those who have been Pir and Mureed [Ms Wattoo and Khan's staff]. Both confirmed he was taking instructions for the last 3 years. Ex-husband of Pir confirmed it too. I was his wife at the time. #Fact'”

The Times said: “Critics mindful that there is an election in July have used the marriage as an excuse to question Mr Khan’s judgment and whether he is the reformed and pious character he claims to be. Mr Khan has eschewed his former globetrotting lifestyle and become a conservative figure in Pakistan, usually seen carrying prayer beads. He could yet claim the election but the ruling Pakistan Muslim League is expected to win. Mr Khan’s political opponents have portrayed his relationships as a sign of his unreliability. There are concerns that the marriage could weaken his support because faith healing is controversial in some interpretations of conservative lslam,” said the paper.

The Times said that Umar Cheema, The News and Jang journalist, had revealed that Imran Khan married on January 1. Fawad Chaudhary, a PTI spokesman, denied her allegations and claimed that she had frequently fabricated stories.

Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the PTI’s deputy chairman, tweeted his congratulations to Mr Khan. Others suggested the marriage was more evidence Mr Khan was swayed by affairs of the heart and has made questionable relationship choices. “There’s no harm in marrying . . . [but] if he can’t hold on to his wives, how can he hold the country together?” said Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, the Senate deputy chairman and general secretary of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party.