ISLAMABAD: Imran Khan announced on Tuesday that he was becoming a married man, telling a press conference at his 200-acre Islamabad estate that “marriage is not a crime.”
The 62-year-old, who arrived back in Pakistan on Tuesday after spending time in the UK, had told reporters on Monday night as he boarded his flight from Heathrow that he was planning to “share the good news with the nation” on his return. It was not clear whether the couple had married already, as some reports suggested, or were waiting to celebrate their nuptials in Pakistan.
Khan’s bride is former BBC weather presenter Reham Khan, 41, a divorced mother-of-three, who moved back to her native Pakistan in 2013 and began working for television channels there.
And on Tuesday night Khan’s decision to marry was the subject of furious debate on Pakistani television, where callers to chat shows rang in to voice their opinions, over clips of his first wedding, to Jemima Goldsmith. “It’s the talk of the town,” said one commentator in Islamabad.
Their wish to marry had been announced by Khan in August, when, during his political party’s four-month sit in to campaign against President Nawaz Sharif, he proclaimed that he was waiting for the resignation of the government before he wed.
“I want to create a new Pakistan not only for you, but also for me – because once a new Pakistan becomes a reality, I will marry,” he said, to thunderous applause from his supporters.
His ex-wife Jemima Goldsmith, whom he had married in a traditional Islamic ceremony in Paris in 1995, announced that she, as a result, was returning to her maiden name. They have two sons together, and divorced in 2004.
“My ex-husband, Imran, recently announced that he intended to get remarried soon, which made me think it’s probably time to change my name back to Goldsmith,” she said.
Bowled over by Reham: Meet new Mrs Imran Khan
Bowled over by Reham: Meet new Mrs Imran Khan
Sydney man jailed for mailing reptiles in popcorn bags
- The eight-year term handed down on Friday was a record for wildlife smuggling, federal environment officials said
SYDNEY: A Sydney man who tried to post native lizards, dragons and other reptiles out of Australia in bags of popcorn and biscuit tins has been sentenced to eight years in jail, authorities said Tuesday.
The eight-year term handed down on Friday was a record for wildlife smuggling, federal environment officials said.
A district court in Sydney gave the man, 61-year-old Neil Simpson, a non-parole period of five years and four months.
Investigators recovered 101 Australian reptiles from seized parcels destined for Hong Kong, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Romania, the officials said in a statement.
The animals — including shingleback lizards, western blue-tongue lizards, bearded dragons and southern pygmy spiny-tailed skinks — were posted in 15 packages between 2018 and 2023.
“Lizards, skinks and dragons were secured in calico bags. These bags were concealed in bags of popcorn, biscuit tins and a women’s handbag and placed inside cardboard boxes,” the statement said.
The smuggler had attempted to get others to post the animals on his behalf but was identified by government investigators and the New South Wales police, it added.
Three other people were convicted for taking part in the crime.
The New South Wales government’s environment department said that “the illegal wildlife trade is not a victimless crime,” harming conservation and stripping the state “and Australia of its unique biodiversity.”
