ISLAMABAD – Bushra Maneka, a 50-year-old lady Imran has been visiting forspiritual guidance for quite some time, has asked for some time to consulther family members before making any decision, said a statement issued bythe PTI.
The communique further said if Bushra and her family would accept theproposal then Imran will himself announce it, until then it has beenrequested that the media should respect his privacy.
It all started after a local newspaper on Saturday claimed that Imran hadmarried, for the third time.
The report claimed that the marriage ceremony was held in Lahore on January1 and was attended by the PTI chief’s close aides including Awn Chaudhry,Naeemul Haque, Mufti Saeed, a British Pakistani businessman and Imran’spersonal friend Zulfi Bokhari.
Imran was repeatedly asked by the media to comment on the news but hepreferred not to comment for some reasons. However, some PTI leaders intheir individual capacity either rejected the news or termed it a purely‘private matter’.
Earlier, commenting on the rumours in her tweet, PTI leader Dr ShireenMazari said, “Ridiculous! When SC deprives IK’s detractors from doingaccusatory stories of corruption, they create stories of his “marriage”!Somewhat pathetic too!”
“For the record, it is Chairman PTI Imran Khan’s personal business and noone else’s, when, with whom and where he decides to marry,” she added.
Imran’s Political Secretary Awn Chaudhry, who according to the report wasone of the two witnesses signing the marriage papers, also took to Twitter.“This is irresponsible yellow journalism. I had categorically denied theveracity of this planted gossip. Totally concocted story.”
Later he clarified: “It’s his wish that Imran should marry a woman, andthat woman make his life pleasant and wonderful. But, it [this subject] hasnothing to do with politics.”
Naeemul Haque, however, offered no public comment over the issue.
Earlier, in 2017 a local newspaper had reported that Imran had silentlybeen visiting a remote town of Sahiwal where he stays “for a few hours atthe residence of his hosts who belong to influential Maneka clan with whomhe is said to have a spiritual bond.”
The report had suggested that the PTI chief there meets one Bushra Bibi,known as Ms Pinki in the area, for spiritual advice. Now, the latest reportin this regard claimed that Imran had actually married that woman.
However, one of Bushra’s sons, who on Saturday appeared on a local newschannel, categorically denied the report that her mother had married Khan.
The PTI chief was married twice but neither of his marriages worked. Hemarried Jemima Goldsmith, a British national, in 1995 and endedrelationship with her in 2004. He then married Reham Khan in 2015 but therelationship ended within just 10 months.
A few months ago, Imran in response to a question about a third marriagehad said in a lighter vein: “I am in a hurry to complete my marriages’hat-trick”.
Who’s Bushra and where she first met Imran?
The PTI chief had first met with Bushra, a mother of five, shortly beforethe 2015 by-election in Lodhran for the NA-154 seat.
She is around 50 years old and belongs to influential Wattoo family inPunjab’s Pakpattan district.
She has recently divorced her former husband Khawar Farid Maneka, a Customsofficer and a son of former federal minister Ghulam Farid Maneka.
Bushra’s two sons – Ibrahim and Musa – after graduating from AitchisonCollege in Lahore are currently getting higher education from abroad.
Mehru, Bushra’s eldest of the three daughters is the daughter-in-law ofPunjab MPA Mian Atta Muhammad Maneka.