Parents, sisters, wives, children: Imran Khan’s family tree decoded amid death rumours

Is Imran Khan still alive?

Rumours of the death of the former Pakistan Prime Minister have been doing the rounds for days. Imran’s family has accused the government of keeping him in isolation for weeks. There are also reports that Imran has been beaten.

While Imran’s son and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party have demanded ‘proof of life’, authorities have claimed that he is ‘fully healthy and receiving complete medical attention.’

But what do we know about Imran’s family? Who are his sisters, sons and wife?Let’s take a closer look.

Imran’s parents

Imran was born on 5 October 1952 to Ikramullah Khan Niazi and Shaukat Khanum in Pakistan’s Lahore. Ikramullah was a civil engineer from Mianwali who hailed from the Niazi Pashtun clan. A graduate of Imperial College London in 1946, he participated in the Pakistan Movement. Ikramullah later worked for the country’s Public Welfare Department.

Shaukat, a homemaker, hailed from the Burki Pashtun tribe. She was, by all accounts, a soft-spoken woman who commanded much respect and love from her family. Her early death at the age of 63 in February 1985 would inspire Imran towards philanthropy. He would later open a cancer hospital in her name.

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Imran said at the time, “I saw someone that close to me, for two months, in extreme pain. I think only people who have seen cancer patients can know how they suffer. I think that suffering touched me very deeply. It was like a watershed in my life.”

Imran’s sisters

Rubina Khanum, the eldest of the siblings, was born in Islamabad. Known to keep a low profile, she is an alumna of the London School of Economics. Rubina is said to have worked with the United Nations in a senior position for many years.

Aleema Khanum is an entrepreneur and philanthropist. She owns several export-based textile businesses as well as high-end fashion ventures. She holds a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Business Administration. She has also worked in charitable and educational organisations including as the former Marketing Director of Shaukat Khanum Memorial and Member of the Board of Governors. She is currently a board member of the Imran Khan Foundation and the Namal Education Foundation.

Uzma Khanum was also born in Islamabad. A surgeon by profession, she is known to stay away from the spotlight. However, she is said to have supported Imran’s charitable endeavours, particularly in the field of medicine.

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Rani Khanum is the youngest of Imran’s sisters. A university graduate, she works with many Pakistani charities and stays out of the spotlight.
Imran’s first wife Jemima described his sisters as “strong educated women with lives of their own”.

Imran’s wife and ex-wives

Imran’s first wife was Jemima Goldsmith, a British heiress and journalist. Jemima was the daughter of British tycoon James Goldsmith, while her mother Lady Annabel Goldsmith hails from an aristocratic family. The two married in Paris in 1995, which the British tabloids hailed as “the wedding of the century”.

After the marriage, Jemima famously moved to Pakistan and embraced the culture including speaking Urdu and adopting the local customs. However, their marriage ended in 2004 after which Jemima moved back to London with their two children. Imran and Jemima remain on good terms regardless.

Imran’s second wife Reham Khan was also a journalist. Reham was born in the 1960s in Libya in an educated, affluent Pakistani-origin family. Her parents decided to move back to Pakistan when she was still a teenager. Reham, at age 19, wed and shifted to the UK.

Journalist, author and former wife of Imran Khan, Reham Khan has officially entered Pakistan’s political arena with the launch of her own party - the Pakistan Republic Party (PRP). File image/AFPReham, who had three children with her first husband, walked out of the marriage after it turned abusive. Reham, in 2006, began her journalism career and by 2008 she was working for the BBC as a presenter.

Reham and Imran married in January 2015, when Imran was knee-deep in politics. Their turbulent relationship was over just ten short months later. After the relationship had ended, Reham released a controversial tell-all book about her experiences with Imran. Reham and the book made several sensational allegations about Imran’s alleged drug use and his sex life, which his supporters dismissed as a ‘smear campaign’.

A faith healer, Bushra Bibi was born Bushra Riaz Watto into a family of landowners. Said to be in her late forties, much of her early life remains a mystery. A Sufi mystic and pirni, Bushra was previously married to Khawar Farid Maneka, a customs officer.

Imran and Bushra wed in a secret ceremony sometime in 2018, which came as a shock to many.

A report had accused Bibi of wielding an outsized influence in the Imran Khan government from 2018 to 2022 and even claimed she practised ‘black magic’. Like Imran, Bushra has faced several legal cases and is also currently in jail.

Imran’s children

Both of Imran’s sons are from his marriage with Jemima.

Sulaiman Isa Khan was born in 1996 in London. The 29-year-old lives with Jemima in the UK. While not much is known about Sulaiman, he is said to be academically inclined. It was Sulaiman who demanded a proof of life from the Pakistan government.

Kasim Khan was born in April 1999. The 26-year-old, who also lives in the United Kingdom, attended the University of Bristol in England, where he studied Islamic History. Much like his sibling, he usually keeps away from politics, though he often visits his father in Pakistan.

Imran is also said to have a daughter – Tyrian Jade Khan. Imran is said to have fathered Tyrian with socialite Sita White, whom he met in 1991. The two reportedly shared a long relationship lasting over half a decade. Imran is said to have been disappointed when he learned Sita was having a girl and reportedly asked her to get an abortion.

However, Sita refused. Tyrian was born on 15 June 1992 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in New York. Imran was deemed to be the father of Jade by a US judge after he refused to submit a paternity test.

With inputs from agencies