Ex-wife Jemima Khan’s gifts come to haunt Imran Khan in Pakistan

Imran Khan and Jemima Khan. (Image: Reuters)

Imran Khan’s attack on Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has now got personal. Nawaz Sharif’s party Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Wednesday moved the country’s Supreme Court with a Constitutional petition alleging that Imran’s first wife Jemima Khan had not filed income tax returns and the former cricketer had helped her in doing so. The petition comes at a time when Pakistan Supreme Court is hearing the Panama Papers Leak case against Sharif.

On Wednesday, PML-N leader Hanif Abbasi, who had lost his seat to Imran, filed two petitions, demanding disqualification of Imran Khan and Jahangir Tareen from the National Assembly. The petition alleged that both Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders have concealed their sources of income.

According to the petition, Imran Khan’s first wife Jemima Khan had not filed her IT returns during her stay in Pakistan. It was necessary for Imran to declare the assets owned by Jemima in Pakistan. But he violated the Income Tax Ordinance by not doing so, Pakistan-based The Express Tribune reported.

According to the petitioner, Imran had purchased a number of properties in the name of Jemima. While leaving Pakistan, Jemima had gifted those properties to Imran. On April 12, 2005, the petitioner claimed that Jemima had declared in London that 300 “kanals” and five “marlas” in Mohra Noor were purchased by Imran but the land was transferred in her name as a “benaami transaction.” The petitioner also claimed that Jemima didn’t declare her Pakistani property when she filed IT returns in the United Kingdom.

Tareen also violated the Representation of People’s Act by not declaring his offshore assets to the Election Commission of Pakistan before 2013 General Elections.