Who is Reham Khan, Imran Khan’s former wife, who has launched new political party in Pakistan?

Pakistan has multiple political parties, spanning a spectrum of ideologies. There’s the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the Bilawal Bhutto-led Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and many more.

Now, you can add one more party to this list: the Pakistan Republic Party. And it has been formed by none other than Pakistan’s ex-PM Imran Khan’s former wife, Reham Khan, marking her formal entry into politics.

What do we know about Reham Khan and her new party? Will it be able to challenge the major political players in Pakistan?

Who is Reham Khan?

Khan became a popular household name in Pakistan in 2015 when she married cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan. The wedding to the then PTI chief was her second one; she had earlier tied the knot with Ijaz Rehman, who is a psychiatrist. The couple got married in 1993 and were divorced in 2005. During their marriage, they had three children — two sons and a daughter.

Prior to her marriage to Imran Khan, Reham worked as a journalist; she worked for the BBC. She also ventured into film production. In 2016, she produced Janaan, a romantic comedy set in Swat.

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When Reham married Imran, it made a lot of news in Pakistan. Khan was criticised as it came just weeks after the Taliban massacre of more than 130 schoolboys in Peshawar. Moreover, many conservatives were wary of Reham Khan and her career — she was seen in a video cooking pork sausages at a country fair. In fact, members of Khan’s family disapproved of the marriage and even stayed away from the ceremony.

However, Reham and Imran’s marriage came to an end 10 months later in October 2015. Later, in 2018, Reham accused Imran of cheating on her during their marriage with Bushra Wattoo, who he consequently married and then divorced. She claimed in an interview with The Times that the cricketer-turned-politician was having a long ‘extramarital affair’ with Bushra that continued while he was married to her. “Imran Khan was in contact with Bushra three years ago when I was his wife and he is not the truthful man,” she was then quoted as saying.

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In the subsequent years, Reham tied the knot again; in 2022, she said ‘I do’ to US-based Pakistani actor and satirist Mirza Bilal.

What is Reham Khan’s Pakistan Republic Party?

On Tuesday (July 15), the former wife of Imran Khan announced the launch of her new political party in Pakistan, naming it the Pakistan Republic Party. Making the announcement at Karachi Press Club, Reham said, “I’ve never accepted political positions before. I joined a party once for just one person,” in reference to her former husband. “But today, I stand on my own terms.”

In her address, Reham said that her party, the Pakistan Republic Party, would be the people’s voice, holding the ruling elite accountable. She further said that her party was born out of the growing dissatisfaction in the country.

“This is not just a party, it’s a movement to convert politics into service,” she said.

She vowed that through her new party, she would bring about reforms in the economically-struggling nation. “From 2012 to 2025, the Pakistan I’ve witnessed still lacks clean drinking water and basic healthcare. That’s not acceptable anymore.”

Reham has sworn to bring about reforms for the people of Pakistan, particularly women and farmers, stating that Islamabad needs policies that reflect the realities faced by the common people.

Reham also wasted no time, slamming the old political parties, saying hers is not here to “serve personal empires”. “No one in our party will contest from four constituencies at one time, and we’re not here to play political games,” she said, adding, that she has come to “replace all the big political people”.

What is Pakistan’s political scenario?

It remains to be seen how Reham’s party will perform in the evolving political arena, but for now her party adds a new dimension to the political scenario in the country.

Currently, the country is being led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, who’s in alliance with the PPP. Meanwhile, Imran Khan’s PTI struggles to stay relevant as their leader remains behind bars. In fact, the PTI is planning a nationwide protest on August 5, demanding the release of the former PM.

The 72-year-old Khan has been behind bars since August 2023 and faces multiple criminal cases. PTI leaders are planning to intensify pressure on the Shehbaz Sharif government and the military establishment through a nationwide movement beginning August 5.

Meanwhile, Pakistan continues to struggle with a deteriorating economy. Booming population growth and poor economic policy management have relegated Pakistan from the richest economy in South Asia to the poorest over the last 50 years.

Many experts note that the government has run up public debt, so much so that interest on that debt now eats up almost two-thirds of public revenue and leaves little to spend on essential items.

Amid this situation, it’s unclear if Reham Khan’s party will help or hurt the situation. Only time will tell.

With inputs from agencies