Reham’s ex-husband rejects domestic violence charges

LONDON: Dr Ijaz Rehman, former husband of Imran Khan’s new wife Reham Khan, has strongly denied ever being involved in domestic violence, adding that he has also paid children maintenance as per law.
Daily Mail quoted Dr Ijaz Rehman, a senior National Health Service psychiatrist, as saying that he “never lifted hands on anyone nor have I ever been involved in any kind of domestic violence in any shape or form”.
“While I was married (to Reham Khan), I always looked after my children and wife very well. I provided every kind of luxury to them and I looked after them in every sense. My ex-wife had every kind of liberty and no restriction of any kind. I am surprised that these allegations were made,” he told Daily Mail.
He issued the statement to media after Reham alleged in a TV interview that she was a victim of domestic violence while married to 54-year-old Dr Ijaz Rehman, with whom she and their three children lived in Lincolnshire.
When asked about her domestic violence experience, Reham said: “Thanks to Allah, I am not scarred by my experience. Domestic violence is a big issue and no attention is paid to it in Pakistan. [It] happens in many shapes and forms. I have never spoken about my personal experience of domestic violence because I was in [the] media and I felt it would be unfair to expose the other party.”
But Dr Ijaz Rehman issued a strong statement stating that he was so offended by the “baseless” allegations that he could take legal action to clear his name. Dr Rehman said that the couple had lots of “common friends in Hull, where we lived together when we were married. They are all very highly intellectual people. They are highly-qualified consultants. Go and ask them – they will vouch for me. Ask them if I ever was unfair and cruel to my children and ex-wife? I don’t know what it is that she describes as a ‘horrible experience’,” the psychiatrist responded.
Dr Rehamn said that if he was involved in domestic violence, he would not be able to work at a senior position in NHS. “If I was convicted or charged or found involved in domestic violence in any sense then I wouldn’t have been able to practice,” he said, refuting claims of violence and stressing that he is a man of clean record and if he had done anything wrong, the police and other agencies would have held him accountable.
He explained: “The Criminal Record Bureau in this country gives clearance to all doctors every year enabling them to practice. CBR has the full police record of each and every individual who has been convicted. Only those people who are clean and have no criminal record are allowed to practice. I have no criminal record in England, not of any kind.”
Reham said that after separation from Dr Ijaz, she faced difficulties and had to bring up two kids on her own. DR Ijaz said in his statement to media: “Let me explain that it’s not the law of the jungle in the UK. Laws are very strict here. Everyone knows about the divorce settlement law in this country. This settlement is decided by the judge. It’s not only about financial division of assets of the parties, but also about other needs and requirements, who is earning and who is not. The judge also decides on how many kids there are and what their needs are. The amount of the money is decided by the judge not by the individuals and that depends to how many kids are involved and what the income is.”
Further, he continued the child support agency was involved in their case and the job of the CSA is to ensure that fathers pays the maintenance.“That’s the whole point of CSA. Not paying children maintenance is a criminal offence and I could lose my licence to practice for not paying the maintenance and I could have lost my job,” he added.
“Courts can also order to attach your salary with this payment of maintenance if you do not pay the maintenance regularly so there is no way you wouldn’t pay for the maintenance of your children. I can confirm that I paid for the maintenance of my children through CSA all along and a substantial amount,” Dr Rehman asserted.Dr Rehman said that he was a private person and didn’t want to get involved in controversy but will defend himself if attacked.