KARACHI:
In a startling revelation on Monday, Khawar Farid Maneka, the former husband of Bushra Bibi, made serious allegations against former prime minister Imran Khan, claiming that Khan was responsible for the breakdown of his 28-year-long marriage and accused of manipulating the divorce process to expedite his marriage to the former first lady.
Maneka disclosed that ‘Pinki’ (Bushra Bibi) had left their home six months prior to their divorce and had relocated to her residence in Pakpattan city, Punjab. Expressing a desire to reconcile, Maneka revealed that his mother urged him to bring Bushra back, expressing doubts about Imran Khan’s character.
He stated that Khan would visit his residence without obtaining his consent, and he expressed dissatisfaction with his ex-wife’s interactions with the PTI chief. Recounting a specific incident, Maneka shared that during one such visit, he had asked the PTI chief to leave the house, seeking assistance from household staff to facilitate his departure.
Also read: Former first lady, spiritual leader: Who is Bushra Bibi?
During an interview with a private news channel, Maneka, visibly distressed, accused Farhat Shahzadi, also known as Farah Gogi, of pressuring him to divorce Bushra Bibi. He claimed that frustrated and foreseeing the marriage’s failure, he divorced the ex-first lady on November 14, 2017, with the written divorce being dispatched through Gogi.
In a shocking revelation, Maneka asserted that Gogi, through a text message, asked him to change the divorce date to facilitate Imran Khan’s nikkah ceremony with Bushra Bibi on January 1, 2018.
When questioned about his earlier public testimonies in favour of Bushra Bibi’s character, Maneka justified his actions, claiming that he was under the impression that a ‘Murshid’ (spiritual guru) and Mureed (devotee) had a sacred relationship.
Maneka further accused Imran Khan’s confidante Zulfi Bukhari and Farah Gogi of threatening him to prevent him from speaking out against the PTI chief. He claimed that Farah conveyed that Imran was now their “devotee” and the future prime minister.
Also read: Imran, Bushra Bibi’s Nikkah based on ‘fraud’: Aun Chaudhry
Responding to queries about benefiting from the marriage after Imran became the prime minister, Maneka gave an unsatisfactory response, asserting his belonging to a well-known political family.
In an attempt to dispel perceptions of close ties with former Punjab chief minister Usman Buzdar, Maneka shared an anecdote about requesting Buzdar to address issues related to Baba Fareed’s shrine, of which he is a trustee. He mentioned that Buzdar refused, and he was subsequently warned by Farah Gogi not to establish contact with Buzdar.
Expressing emotional distress, Maneka revealed the impact on his family, particularly his 14-year-old daughter who deeply misses her mother.
