Even though Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and his current wife Reham Khan have taken to twitter to deny a news story broken by Pakistan Today Editor Arif Nizami on his TV talk show the other day regarding the couple’s marriage being on the verge of collapse, the renowned senior journalist and anchorperson has said that he wishes that his information turns out to be wrong and the couple remains bonded in marriage.
Responding to scathing criticism unleashed by some PTI leaders and the party’s internet trolls on social media, the veteran journalist has said that he stands by his information.
“I was informed a few days ago that the couple is on the verge of splitting up but despite repeated attempts to confirm the information from the PTI leadership, I was told that even though the news is true, the party will not own it publicly,” he said.
Nizami, who was the first person to report the news of the couple’s marriage in November last year, even as Khan who was leading his party in his 126-day sit-in at the time kept denying the news, said during the talk show that he wished that he was not right.
“I want to be wrong here and for the couple to be happy, but my information is completely authentic,” he said.
Lashing out at his critics, Nizami said that he had expected the blowback, as it was part of the job.
“Did my critics in PTI have the decency to apologise when Imran Khan kept refuting my information regarding his marriage for two months before admitting that the news had been correct all along?”
Nizami said that reports had emerged in the media for a long time that party cadres were not happy that Reham wanted to “take over the party”.
Earlier in the day, Imran Khan took to twitter to reject Nizami’s report that his marriage with former BBC weather girl Reham Khan was on the rocks.
“I am shocked at a TV channel making slanderous statement about my marriage. I strongly urge the media to desist from such baseless statements,” said the former cricketer-turned politician, rejecting the media reports aired on Channel 24 and published in Pakistan Today in a message sent to his 2.85 million followers on Twitter.
Reham Khan, whose official twitter account has been inactive for some days, logged on on Wednesday to make a statement regarding the report.
“Nothing & no one can stop Khan & I from the path we have chosen. We will both continue to work hard to deliver a Naya Pakistan together,” she tweeted.