'Getting married is not a crime,' says Imran Khan

Islamabad/London: Pakistan's flamboyant cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan today hinted that he could remarry, days after he termed his marriage reports with BBC weather presenter Reham Khan as "greatly exaggerated".

"Marriage is not a crime but when you have children from your first marriage, they are the first priority," 62-year-old Imran said in Islamabad after his return from London today.

Imran had reportedly gone to London to consult his marriage plan with his two sons who live with his ex-wife Jamima Goldsmith.

He said it was important to inform his sons about any plan to start a new life.

"They are first affected by the divorce and then they are affected by another marriage. For 10 years I did not even think about getting married again because I did not want to hurt my children," Imran said.

"Until I spoke to my children I did not want to make any statements about my marriage. I got the chance to meet my children? I will tell you the good news this week," he said.

Earlier at Heathrow airport, Imran had said he was going to Pakistan to share the "good news" of his marriage. "I am going to Pakistan to share good news about my marriage with the nation. I have nothing to hide," he told Pakistani journalists last night.

News of Imran's marriage with Khan, a divorced mother of three, broke last week but the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman had denied the reports and described them as "greatly exaggerated".

The 41-year-old Khan is presently hosting a political talk-show "In Focus with Reham Khan" on DawnNews.

The show's rating has shot up following the controversy. Khan also has not yet categorically denied her marriage reports.

"Western publications are misguided that Pakistan's religious conservative culture is attacking me. It is a case of cyber violence," Khan had earlier written on her twitter account.

Shahid Masood, a TV anchor, was the first who claimed in a talk show that Imran had contracted secret marriage with Reham following the latter's frequent interviews with Imran during his party's four-month long sit-in in Islamabad in August.

Imran Khan's ex-wife Jemima had earlier said that she was ditching the surname 'Khan' and reverting to her family name because her ex-husband was about to remarry.

Imran had told his supporters that he would remarry after building "New Pakistan".

Imran had tied the knot with Jemima on May 16, 1995 and has two sons from the marriage. The couple divorced on June 22, 2004, ending the nine-year marriage as it was "difficult for Jemima to adapt to life in Pakistan".