Pakistan - Reham Khan in the dock

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan’s wife Reham Khan has been in the news for all the wrong reasons. She has been accused of telling a lie about her academic credentials and the name of the institution where she pursued her journalism degree. “Reham Khan has not been truthful about her qualification,” disclosed the Daily Mail that first broke the news of her marriage with the PTI chief. The British newspaper stated that the college from which Reham Khan claims she did her course in Broadcast Journalism does not even offer that course. The degree controversy has suddenly turned into a subject of national debate. It has taken the shape of a damaging scandal. Earlier, the MQM was in the dock when the BBC published a story alleging that the party had links with the Indian agency RAW. At that time, Imran Khan had advised Altaf Hussain to sue the UK newspaper oblivious of the fact that he himself can be caught up in a similar situation.

Whether the degree is fake or genuine, Ms Reham should come up with a convincing reply. Through her statements in the social media, she has criticised the British newspaper and Pakistani TV channels. Following the controversy and uproar caused by the Daily Mail’s article, the name of the institution on Reham Khan’s official website was changed to Grimsby Institute, which has further blemished her image. She needs to respond in a convincing way to the allegations. She needs to set the record straight. PTI spokesperson Naeemul Haq has said that this issue is Reham Khan's "personal matter" and can only be clarified by her. But the PTI leadership needs to understand that after her marriage with Imran Khan, who is a vocal politician at the national level, Reham Khan has also come into the spotlight. She has become a public figure and cannot evade such criticism. She should be ready to face public scrutiny of her acts and statements. She needs to come clean before the public and also provide proof of her academic qualifications. She should be forthright and courageous enough to clear her position and give a befitting reply to her critics. After all this is a very embarrassing situation for the wife of the leader of a mainstream political party.