Imran’s bride must say sorry for abuse slur, says angry ex
THE former husband of Imran Khan’s new wife is demanding a public apology after she claimed he was violent toward her during their ten-year marriage.
Dr Ijaz Rehman has given Reham Khan a week to withdraw allegations of abuse, which she made in an interview soon after marrying the Pakistani politician and cricketing icon.
‘I have asked Reham to apologise for the slur to my good name and character,’ said Dr Rehman, an NHS psychiatrist who lives in Lincolnshire.
‘She knows that what she said is not true and while I do not want to get involved in mudslinging, I will defend myself vigorously if she does not set the record straight.’
Mrs Khan, a former BBC presenter, also claimed Dr Rehman left her penniless after their divorce, leaving her to bring up their three children alone.
But Dr Rehman strenuously denied all the allegations, telling The Mail on Sunday that they were attempts by Mrs Khan to win sympathy from a Pakistani public hostile towards her new marriage.
As a divorcee, she is mistrusted by religious conservatives in Pakistan, and last week she was condemned over footage of her frying sausages. Muslims are forbidden from eating pork. ‘What Reham said about domestic violence was in order for her to be seen in good light and come out as an innocent victim to cover her deeds, at my expense,’ Dr Rehman said. ‘I ask her to act honourably and honestly and issue an apology and retract her statement within a week. I have never lifted my hands on anyone and I have never been involved in any kind of domestic violence in any shape or form.
‘As for her claim that I left her penniless, I have always looked after her and my children.’
The doctor met and married Reham in Pakistan, but they lived in Lincolnshire until they split in 2005. Reham eventually moved to East London and went on to work as a weather presenter for regional programme South Today.
She returned to her homeland in 2012 and began dating Mr Khan, 62, who was previously married to heiress Jemima Goldsmith. However, their marriage has been condemned by conservatives, who say she is an unsuitable partner for a Right-wing politician who makes much of his Islamic faith.
In an interview on Pakistani TV last week, 42-year-old Reham was asked about being a victim of domestic abuse. She said: ‘Domestic violence is a big issue and no attention is paid to it in Pakistan. [It] happens in many shapes and forms.
‘I have never spoken about my personal experience of domestic violence because I was in [the] media and I felt it would be unfair to expose the other party.’
She said she had been reluctant to tie the knot again because of her experiences in her former marriage.
Last week the Khans visited a school in Peshawar where 132 pupils were massacred by the Taliban – but they were met by crowds of grieving relatives chanting for them to leave.