Imran Khan terms rumors of his third marriage baseless

Pakistan media was buzzing with reports today that Pakistan’s World Cup winning captain turned-politician Imran Khan has married for the third time.

Reports by a Pakistani news channel Dunya News said that his third wife, Maryam, was the younger sister of Bushra, his spiritual guide. The reports also suggested that Maryam was divorced and a mother of two children. The channel also reported that the marriage was solemnised in London in a simple ceremony.

It further went on to quote a source as saying that Khan, who is currently in London, had married a woman belonging to the influential Maneka clan from Pakpattan district of the Punjab province in Pakistan.

Soon after the rumours caught fire Imran tweeted and termed them baseless. He wrote – ‘Rumours abt my marriage absolutely baseless. I have not gotten married. When I do I will announce & celebrate publicly.’

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Naeemul Haq, a spokesman of Imran Khan’s party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, also came out to dismiss the reports. “Rumours about IK getting married are totally wrong. He is spending time with his boys in England and will be back in Pakistan on Sunday,” Haq tweeted.

Haq accepted that Khan has a ‘spiritual link’ with the Maneka clan of Pakpattan. He had given “all responsibilities regarding his marriage to his sisters”, he said.

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The legendary pacer first married English heiress Jemima Goldsmith. The marriage lasted from 1995 to 2004. He had two sons with Jemima. His second marriage with British-Pakistani TV journalist Reham Khan in 2015 could last just 10 months.

In a recent interview with Hindustan Times, Khan had said he would contemplate marriage for the third time.

“Of course. It’s not in my blood to give up. But it takes a lot. There’s nothing worse than divorce, I tell you. It’s one of the worst things that can happen to a human being,” Khan said. He added he “would be a bit more careful” about marrying again.

Khan said he hadn’t closed his mind to marriage. “No; it’s even more open than before. But marrying at 60 is not like marrying at 30. The great thing about life is that it’s unpredictable; you never know what’s going to happen tomorrow.”

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