A British newspaper on Wednesday called into question the educational qualifications of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman’s wife Reham Khan. Reham kicked off her career at the BBC after studying a postgraduate course ‘in Broadcast Journalism at North Lindsay [sic] College’, in Scunthorpe, , according to her own official website.“Reham Khan has not been truthful about her qualification,” said the British newspaper that first disclosed the news of her marriage with the PTI chief.‘We do not have anyone by those names or date of birth having attended this college,’ said a spokesperson for the college and added: ‘We have never done a degree in broadcast journalism.’ 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.PTI is a party that claims to uphold the virtue of honesty and transparency above all. Not only have they been highly critical of politicians caught in fake degree scandals, they have stressed the importance of the education ‘degree’ in more occasions than one. Hence, when the party chief’s own wife is embroiled in such a controversy, it is seen as the epitome of hypocrisy. Surely Reham Khan should’ve foreseen the consequences it would have on her and her family if someone caught wind of a white lie?Reham Khan is a role model for many women, who admire her tenacity, and her struggle as a single mother who has held her own. Her achievements as a social worker, working for the rights of children, is admirable. However, a more responsible attitude is expected, not just from Reham Khan, but all public figures. Reham Khan 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.
pk.shafaqna.com
