Imran Khan: why a tell-all memoir is causing uproar in Pakistan

Book by his ex-wife reportedly threatens
bid to become nation’s next prime minister

One-Minute Read

The autobiography by Reham Khan, the second wife of the former
Pakistan cricket captain, “claims to lift the lid on their
relationship, with salacious allegations about their private life,
including accusations of infidelity”, says The Times.

The sports star-turned-politician’s Pakistan
Tehreek–e–Insaf
party (PTI), or Pakistan Movement for
Justice, has been viewed as the main challenger to the ruling
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz
(PML-N). However, “the buzz
created by the book and the sensational allegations by Reham could
effectively derail Imran Khan’s chances for any success in the
upcoming general election in July”, says news website DNA India.

Reham, a former BBC weather presenter, recently told Pakistan’s
Geo TV channel that she was being bullied by her former husband’s
supporters. “[They] have chosen the wrong woman to go after,” she
said. “I will not tolerate baseless allegations by PTI. I challenge
PTI to prove a single allegation against me.”

Reham claims copies of her manuscript was stolen by hackers, on
the orders of the PTI, days before the anticipated publication
date. Alleged extracts from the book were leaked to Pakistani
broadcasters, prompting her to seek an injunction to prevent
further publication. PTI has flatly denied the hacking claim.

According to The Guardian, Reham told India’s CNN18
television network that the book focused on “sexual coercion and
how it is used, how sexual favours are used for political
positions, for media positions, and some of them are directly
related to PTI”.

She also said that if Khan were to become PM, it would be very
dangerous for Pakistan.

However, in a separate interview with German
newspaper Deutsche Welle, Khan’s ex said the memoir
was not exclusively focused on the politician. She explained: “The
book tells the story of my life, my experiences, and my journey
through different continents, different cultures. My marriages are
a part of my life and so have been included in the book. It is an
honest account.”

She also denied that the timing of the book release has anything
to do with the upcoming elections. “Firstly, we do not know if the
elections will take place at all this year. Secondly, it took me a
while to put down painful memories on paper,” she told the
newspaper in March, prior to the announcement that the vote would
be held on 25 July.

“It was like scratching a wound. I think that the people in
Pakistan, policymakers and [foreign] investors should learn from my
experiences. If there are to be elections this year, I think the
book will be very helpful to all those who want an insight [into
Pakistan],” Reham added this week.

The PTI is calling for the memoir to be banned in Pakistan, and
has threatened to sue Reham in Britain on defamation
charges. A number of legal notices against her have already been
filed in Pakistani courts.

“His supporters allege the book falsely maligns him as a liar
and hypocrite”, and fear that the allegations “could hurt Imran’s
appeal among Pakistan’s conservative urban middle-class”, says The
Guardian.

With the election race thought to be one of the closest in
years, “the PTI is convinced that Ms Khan and the Pakistan Muslim
League-Nawaz aimed to publish just before polling day to torpedo Mr
Khan’s challenge”, adds The Times.