Twenty years is a long time, but not long enough for Pakistanis to forget Jemima Goldsmith, ex-wife of Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan. This was proved once again Tuesday when they came out in defence of her after former President Asif Ali Zardari accused her of aiding Khan’s campaign even as he is locked in prison. Now Pakistanis are saying, “Stay Strong Jemima Khan”.
In an exclusive interview with journalist Asma Shirazi of Aaj News, Zardari accused Goldsmith of paying bloggers money to create propagandist content favouring her ex-husband.
Pakistani influencer Nabeeha Ilyas came out in support of Goldsmith, calling her one of the most loyal women. She wrote, “I say with confidence that Jemima Khan’s name will be mentioned wherever the loyalty of a woman is mentioned in the world.”
Another user Matin Khan said that Pakistani politicians were devoid of ethics and were opposed to transparency.
“This is obviously not true,” Goldsmith wrote under Zardari’s video shared by Pakistani journalist Ihtisham Ul Haq.
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Imran Khan-Jemima Khan nostalgia
Many Pakistani users have shared old videos of Khan and Goldsmith having food together, their public appearances, etc.
In a widely circulated video, Khan can be heard sadly talking about his separation from Goldsmith because the people of Pakistan were not ready to accept her.
In other videos, a collage of old pictures of the couple can be seen, netizens have paired it with songs of separation and sadness, as if the whole of Pakistan wants to see the couple back together.
The Pakistan People’s Party leader Zardari said Khan was receiving unsolicited benefits during his tenure in jail, which the former never had access to.
According to Zardari, Khan has access to gym equipment, home-made food, and regular meetings with his lawyers. He added that the ‘ladla’ travels in Mercedes for his court hearings—a luxury that even the current president of Pakistan did not have.
In 2004, Khan and Goldsmith announced their separation. “Whilst Jemima tried her best to settle here, my political life made it difficult for her to adapt to life in Pakistan,” Khan wrote in a statement released by his party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. Goldsmith converted to Islam after marrying Imran Khan in 1995.