Former husband of Bushra Bibi Khawar Maneka has accused PTI chief Imran Khan of ruining his life, saying that he was having a happy married life before Khan met his ex-wife in Lahore under the garb of “peeri mureedi” (spiritual guidance).

“We were spending a happy married life until Imran Khan ruined it under the garb of peeri mureedi,” Khawar said in an interview with Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath which was aired on Geo News on Monday.

Khan married Bushra Maneka, a respected Pir [faith healer] in Pakpattan, on February 18, 2018. According to media reports, the marriage ceremony was held at the residence of Bushra’s brother in Lahore.

It is the cricketer-turned-politician’s third marriage after he divorced Pakistani-British journalist Reham Khan. His second marriage dissolved 10 months after a ceremony took place in January 2015.

Bushra is from the Wattoo clan and the Manekas are a sub-clan. Earlier, she was married to Khawar Farid Maneka, a former FBR official.

But Khan’s third marriage was reported in the media before the PTI had confirmed it. The News in an article published in January 2015 claimed that Khan had married for the third time in a secret ceremony on the first day of the year.

In his interview via video link, Khawar said that he married Bushra in 1989 and the people used to give examples of their house as his wife was a faith healer. He called his ex-wife “pinky”.

He shared that the Khan was introduced to Bushra by her sister Maryam Wattoo, who lives in the United Arab Emirates, during the 2014 Islamabad sit-in staged by the PTI for spiritual guidance.

But he lamented that the matters went worse as his marital life was “destroyed” due to their frequent meetings in 2015-16.

“His frequent visits to our house had made us depressed,” Khawar said, “my mother used to say that not allow him [Khan] to visit home as he is not a good man.”

He added that his mother’s advice had touched his heart, however, he used to resist it. Khawar claimed that Khan and Bushra used to meet in Islamabad when she was in the federal capital. “We got to know about their marriage through TV channels. We were not aware of this,” he said.

According to Khawar, it was an ordeal for the family as when the news broke out people came outside his house in Lahore and started shouting. He wondered why the people were opposing them and badmouthing them.

When asked why the family was opposed to Khan-Bushra meetings as it was a “peer and murshid” relation, he said that the reason was the long telephonic conversations between the two. Khan and Bushra used to have hours-long conversations on the phone at night, Khawar said and added that he was disturbed to see that.

He had advised his former wife to have such a conversation at the time. But it did not change as according to Khawar, his ex-wife’s friend Farah Gogi gave a phone and more SIMs to Bushra on the PTI chief’s orders.

“They started talking secretly. I used to object it that when I made a call she did not attend it. I was posted in Karachi and later I was in Pakpattan Sharif. So I used to send servants inside to check the phone is not being answered. Later, I was told that this person [Khan] was sitting there,” he said and added that he was not happy with it.

On the incident, the former government servant added that he forced the PTI chief out of his house through his servant.

Khawar admitted that his wife stayed at their farmhouse in Bani Gala for a period but he made it clear that it was not a rented property.

While sharing his marital life, he said when his ex-wife was living at her parents’ house he received a call from Farah Gogi to divorce Bushra.

He stated that he divorced his former wife on November 14, 2017.

When asked why he was speaking now, Khawar said: “When they tied the knot, I received phone calls from Zulfi Bukhari and Farah Gogi and they categorically told me that ‘Mian Sb he [Khan] is our mureed and he is about to become the prime minister and its better that you remain silent. I took it lightly but they got others to call me and I thought they would put my children’s life at stake. I was silent at that time.”

He added: “Now I am broken and I don’t want to live with this burden. I want to come in front of anyone.”

In response to a query, Khawar said that he was ready to face all cases. He lamented that no one asked them after the marriage. “Since she became the wife of the prime minister and Imran Khan has become prime minister, me and children have received nothing but the people’s criticism.”

He claimed that Farah Gogi and her husband Saleem Gujjar had become “self-proclaimed” guardians of their children.

“I would say it very loudly that she [Farah] is not to be discussed at all. She is not worth it,” Khawar said and added that he was willing to contest his case.