Khawar Maneka, the former husband of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi, has made shocking accusations regarding his divorce and the third marriage of the former prime minister.
In an interview with a private TV channel, Maneka said PTI chief Imran ruined his married life with Bushra.
“Our marriage lasted for 28 years. We had a very happy married life but Imran Khan ruined it under the guise of Piri-Muridi,” he said, referring to a relationship between a spiritual guide and a follower.
Maneka also gave credence to the allegations that Imran-Bushra marriage took place before the passing if Iddat – a mandatory isolation period for a divorced woman under Islam.
It should be noted that Khawar Maneka, earlier, had said that he had not seen a woman as pious as his ex-wife or a man as respectable as Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan.
“I want to clearly state about my former wife, Bushra Bibi, that I have not seen a woman as pious as her in the world,” said Khawar Fareed Maneka in a video message.
“We consider Imran Khan a disciple of our spiritual house. It hurts me to hear such things about him because I have not seen a man as respectable as him. May Allah give him health and respect and ensure his well-being,” he said about the PTI chairman.
Khawar Maneka also said that he had divorced his ex-wife himself and that she had not demanded ‘Khula’ (separation) from him.
He said that he had spent 30 years of marriage living happily with Bushra, but there were some problems during the past three years that became the reasons for their divorce. When asked further, he told Zahid Gishkori that there were some matters between the couple that were not allowing them to properly perform certain ‘spiritual obligations’, after which he took the decision to divorce Bushra.
It’s worth mentioning that Mr Manika was arrested on Sept 25 by is the anti-corruption authorities in illegal construction on the land of the cemetery case and sent to jail on a 14-day judicial remand.
According to anti-corruption, Khawar Maneka got a marriage hall and some shops constructed ‘illegally’ on the land of a cemetery in Haveli Lakha. On the reference of the Okara deputy commissioner, an inquiry is underway against him.
Later, the Lahore High Court on Monday granted bail to Mr Manika against surety bonds worth Rs100,000 in a case regarding occupying cemetery land.
Who is Khawar Maneka?
Khawar Maneka was a customs officer from a politically influential Punjab family. Little is known about his early life. His first marriage, which lasted about 28 years, was to Bushra Bibi.
After their divorce in 2018, he was quoted by local media as saying: “I want to clearly state about my former wife, Bushra Bibi, that I have not seen a woman as pious as her in the world”.
Maneka and Bushra Bibi have five children.
Bushra and her ex-husband Maneka are followers of the Sufi saint and mystic Fariduddin Masud Ganjshakar, also known as Baba Farid. Maneka’s homeland of Pakpattan, Punjab, is home to Baba Farid’s shrine.
Although it was unclear how or when Imran first got to know Bushra, former assistant Aun Chaudhry claimed that Imran was deeply moved by her spirituality.
In a discreet ceremony, Imran and Bushra tied the knot in 2018, just seven months before he was elected as prime minister. Following TV journalist Reham Nayyar Khan and Jemima Goldsmith, the daughter of business mogul James Goldsmith, this was Imran’s third marriage. Both marriages ended in divorce.
