How the media delighted in the Imran-Reham split
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Reham Khan and Imran Khan have decided to part ways. And it seems, we too, have decided to part ways with sanity in the wake of their decision.
It is fair to argue that a political figure does not have a personal or private life, but even so, the media and public response to the matter has been quite despicable.
The divorce came second-by-second, with flashing red tickers on TV channels that religiously engaged in seeking comments on the divorce from all and sundry; trying to claw out and probe into the reasons behind the separation; endlessly speculating and spouting sensationalism.
Relentlessly screaming:
“Second time for Imran Khan, is he on a hat-rick?”
“Reham Khan is a MI6 agent!”
TV producers across the media graced us with trashy animation over slideshows of Imran Khan and Reham Khan’s pictures, complete with lightning cracks between each photo and Bollywood scores bursting behind:
Bhula dena mujhe, Hai alvida tujhe, Tujhe jeena hai mere bina, Safar yeh tera, yeh raasta tera, Tujhe jeena hai.. mere bina.
And of course, how could a glorious opportunity for hating on a woman be missed?
As Faiza S. Khan (@BhopalHouse) neatly puts it:
Social media filled with endless commentary on the matter, as if the divorce could have repercussions for Pakistan’s economy, foreign relations, domestic affairs or the lives of its 200 million people...because of course, Pakistan has no other issues to deal with.
It's not like this is a country where an earthquake has just killed hundreds; where hundreds of children are systematically sexually abused for years in a village (does anyone remember that?).
This isn’t a country like that.
So, the public response to this private matter between a couple has everyone involved, everyone concerned, and everyone ready to offer an opinion.
I do wonder what the thousands of those affected by the earthquake are thinking as they watch this circus play out on TV.
The author holds an MA in South Asian Studies from Columbia University, and currently teaches history and political science at the Lahore University of Management Sciences., She writes about socio-political affairs on her blog hafsakhawaja.wordpress.com.
She tweets @Hafsa_Khawaja
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On DawnNews
Comments (77) Closed
Oct 30, 2015 07:36pm
Only if we had that little modicum of decency.....
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Oct 30, 2015 07:40pm
It is a private matter. Please respect their privacy.
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Oct 30, 2015 07:45pm
If it is possible for Pakistanis, we should all strive to focus our energies on top priorities.
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Oct 30, 2015 07:48pm
Very nice article. Many of the TV anchors simply indulged in sensationalism. What a despicable behavior! All of us, including the media persons, need to respect their privacy and personal life.
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Oct 30, 2015 07:49pm
You still could not resist blaming IK by mentioning the tweet by Faiza Khan.
Every party has its trolls. You cant hold IK responsible for what millions tweet. He has never engaged in character assassination. People say he is personal with Sharifs. Not so. Calling Sharifs corrupt is not personal, making fun of their attributes or physique is.
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Oct 30, 2015 07:52pm
Love you take on this. In Pakistan, media is over sensational, though, it is supposed to relay facts than sensationalism! Air time goes to personal matters in depth and the producers are still happy with it?
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Oct 30, 2015 07:54pm
You have penned it perfectly !
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Oct 30, 2015 07:54pm
Good thoughts.
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Oct 30, 2015 07:56pm
Splits happen all the time in every society. Why should this be a major event for everyone to drivel about?
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Oct 30, 2015 07:57pm
Very good article. If only sense would prevail...
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Oct 30, 2015 08:01pm
When you are a politician, then your personal life is a public. Having said that, the media has exploited the event to increase their ratings which is quite deplorable.
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Oct 30, 2015 08:16pm
Exactly, this is their private matter and none of our business.
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Oct 30, 2015 08:23pm
If people can be happily married, they can also be happily divorced. :)
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Oct 30, 2015 09:07pm
The moral dilemma in Pakistani society is to understand which issues are personal and private for celebrities or which are substantive.
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Oct 30, 2015 09:07pm
very well said.
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Oct 30, 2015 09:07pm
Stop this personal matter nonsense. People look up to him for guidance. They are crazy about him. I wonder what kind of message he is sending to the kids. If you can reconcile differences, split up.
Marriage is a not a easy proposition and it is always hanging by the thread for many and in that situation you just keep face.
What Imran and Reham have done is unfortunate and its ramifications may be far reaching.
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Oct 30, 2015 09:12pm
A very good write-up indeed.
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Oct 30, 2015 09:21pm
its the society of spectacle in general
its not us diseased pakistanis - its the way attention spans are organized and managed in pomo times -
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Oct 30, 2015 09:21pm
Why wasn't there hue when Reham became Pakistan's bhabi? Why did IK then say "Can't wait to share the good news with Pakistan" when he got married? Cause wedding isn't personal but divorce is? It would be a very stupid assumption for anyone who is up there in IK's place that his/her life would/should be personal. And this isn't a "Pakistani" phenomenon at all. Happens all over the world. Doesn't Hilary still get questioned about her Husband's character? When she doesn't even have anything to do with it. Didnt't Bill Clinton himself get questioned, and didn't his fame decline exponentially after his "personal endeavors"?
Not saying there's anything wrong with getting divorced, but I fail to understand the annoyance of both IK and his supporters over this
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Oct 30, 2015 09:22pm
For heavens sake, there is nothing to be delighted about. The woman was too ambitious but Imran has his own ambitions, end of the story.
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Oct 30, 2015 09:24pm
Its true that its a private matter and one should respect it.Hope so imran also learns a lesson and starts respecting others and pti supporters should have some decency too.The way imran had set a trend of embarrasing and breaching everyones privacy it should stop.its just back firing on imran now.
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Oct 30, 2015 09:32pm
@Najam
Agree with you 100%. Your or my marriage is a personal matter.
The marriage (and now divorce) of Imran and Reham is not.
Why?
Because when most people get married, they don't invite/allow journalists to photograph their wedding and plaster it across all media outlets.
So if you can allow that to happen - you cannot treat the divorce as personal.
That is not the media being sensationalist - that's just the way all media works globally.
As they say, you can't have your cake and eat it.
And let's face it - sadly this union was doomed from the beginning.
She wanted to use IK as a springboard to further her political ambitions.
He wanted to show that he was a statesman - with a wife and family at home.
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Oct 30, 2015 09:39pm
What ever happened to decency in our culture where once personal affairs were kept personal. TV media needs to stay away from them and let them be. It's not a circus show for God's sake
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Oct 30, 2015 09:48pm
@Hafsa_Khawaja pain,suffering & lose only matters when it hits us. It's gossip time when we watch others going through with it #ImranReham-split
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Oct 30, 2015 09:53pm
Amazing to note how everything is someone else's fault.
If we as a society do not seek sensationalism, then it is a simple matter of self-dignity that you stop watching this nonsense. In other words, if you think you deserve better, stop yourself from being subjected to such low-level tv programming by switching the channels. If all of them are showing the same 'lightning bolts with background music from bollywood', turn the tv off and take a walk.
Heck, some electricity would be saved too.
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Oct 30, 2015 09:58pm
Well if we remember correctly 10 months ago we the public had to fathom day and night news about Banigala, IK and Reham , what they are eating wearing etc etc. The couple did not mind the privacy mater they loved being on the front pages , interviews 24/7 and all the hoopla around them . So when the curtain falls why all off sudden it has beome a very private issue and their privacy shoud be respected.
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Oct 30, 2015 10:02pm
These public figures survive and rise in life on commoners and media adulation. They have no right to cry foul when the chips are down !!
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Oct 30, 2015 10:03pm
@Bilal The most dignified person in all this is Nawaz Sharif who has garnered much respect. He has not commented on Imran Khan's personal business and has told his party members to not comment either because it is personal. In the last two years, I have heard all kinds of personal attacks by Imran Khan against Nawaz Sharif but Nawaz will not engage in this type of gutter talk. I now have great admiration for Nawaz Sharif now. By the way, this type of divorce of a prominent leader would be tabloid talk anywhere in the world, not just Pakistan. That's what happens to any public figure.
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Oct 30, 2015 10:04pm
No, it is not a private matter. Anything called a private matter but associated with a public personality like IK, is public matter. This is what the US Supreme Court has also decided. IK is not a private person. He sleeps, walks, eats, lectures in public all the time. His marriage, and its associated rituals were performed in public. As such, we the ordinary folks has "right to know" everything about this public personality. Yet, having written all these things, I am still shocked about this separation.
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Oct 30, 2015 10:10pm
Imran was called a Great Son of Pakistan when he was playing cricket and winning the World Cup. It is the news-paper and TV journalists were responsible for making a villain. It is a shame. Mr.Imran Khan is the famous son of Pakistan, and his personal matter should not be X-rayed.
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Oct 30, 2015 10:17pm
The media is made up of all shades and colors.........and there was nothing out of the ordinary in their behavior.......in high profile cases all over the world the media behaves sometimes better and sometimes even worse.
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Oct 30, 2015 10:17pm
Public figures do not remain personal life
Media rightfully or wrongly take the pleasure in such hot news
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Oct 30, 2015 10:25pm
The author certainly has nailed it. A good article. The channels seem to have lost it. How insensitive can they get in their mad dash for ratings.
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Oct 30, 2015 10:44pm
Our political leaders namely Nawaz Sharif,Zardari, Maulana Fazal ur Rehman and Altaf Bhai have proved to be statesman as they all declared that this is personal matter and this divorce must not be discussed by their party leaders.
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Oct 30, 2015 10:47pm
Imran Khan and Reham Khan should have known this was going to happen. I saw the news in the elevator of an average building in a sub-urban location (with mostly white population). Just goes to show how popular Imran Khan is. I hope that the 2 can reconcile knowing that their lives will be worse being divorced.
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Oct 30, 2015 10:59pm
The man who is unable to make good decisions in his personal life cannot be expected to make any good decisions for the nation. Character and judgement are 2 key ingredients in a person who can be entrusted to lead. Good bye Imran Khan.
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Oct 31, 2015 12:26am
Lets behave like civilized people and let the divorced couple find peace and happiness
to sort out their lives. My prayers and good wishes to both.
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Oct 31, 2015 12:44am
@Najam Oh well, don't look up to him. Don't worry about other kids taking message from it. Take it as a news and move on. Everything will be normal in your life. 'People in Pakistan and the perennial problem of interference in others private matters'. Whether you keep faith in marriage 'hanging by a thread' or not, it should be a personal choice not a communal matter. Though, I agree with your take on Media but don't agree one bit with your reasoning given for it. Imran Khan should face wrath now just like he's been doing mudslinging in others' life. He should be ready to face the music now.
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Oct 31, 2015 12:44am
Imran Khan is not an ordinary individual His life ambitions are way over his personal goals. That's how he has lived his life, from youth till NOW.
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Oct 31, 2015 01:23am
Merciless people, what can you expect.
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Oct 31, 2015 01:50am
@Omar
Dear Omer, I know such things happens. All she wanted to do is help him. What's wrong in it? He is saying women shall not help or stay at home?
Imran need to move slowly with consolation of religious good scholars, than he will succeed.
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Oct 31, 2015 02:27am
PTI itself set a bad tradition by prying into private lives of people. Just recall what PTI trolls said about Maryam Nawaz `elopement'.
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Oct 31, 2015 02:31am
Pakistan media is acting like Indian media .. Such nonsense needs to stop.
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Oct 31, 2015 02:42am
Proud of you today, Nawaz Sharif, just read your statement so gracious in directing party workers not to mud sling on Imran-Reham divorce, respecting their privacy. But Danial Aziz, Talal-Ch, Pervez Rashid, Saad Rafiq, and Kh-Asif will not control themselves having the generation of small mind. I salute you, Nawaz Sharif, and would like to see how Shehbaz Sharif behaves, they both are born to same parents but Nawaz Sharif you stole my heart. A'ameen.
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Oct 31, 2015 02:55am
every one should look in to his own affairs do not poke your nose in others matters. IK ia a great Muslim and great political leader of Pakistan. Talaq is legal but hatred. Soon IK will get an other one. Reasons given by Reham ( Jhoot ) are very weak. IK grace full.
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Oct 31, 2015 03:10am
Let it be a personal affair... Hopefully he will be happy and more productive.
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Oct 31, 2015 03:42am
The various discussions and spekulations on Imran Khan's divorce are indeed important, coz the masses are still under his influence as a political leader and discussions on his divorce may help to shed some light on the type of person he is. Marriage and family life plays a central and defining role in Islamic societies, unlike in western countries where it is common for the leaders to have as many affairs and one-night stands as they wish and still their work remains unaffected because of it.
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Oct 31, 2015 05:37am
May they live happily after.
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Oct 31, 2015 06:37am
IK must be sad like any other sensible person . I think , there must be a solid reasons or logic behind this very difficult decision. May be, he disclose the truth one day,
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Oct 31, 2015 08:23am
when any divorce happened,it is the female who is defamed if divorce is discussed publically---so before doing that one must think of their own sisters and daughters
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Oct 31, 2015 09:20am
There isn't anything personal in the lives of people who are in the public life. I guess at least Bollywood wins here than Lollywood:"complete with lightning cracks between each photo and Bollywood scores bursting behind." Now how the media presents it to the people is more a reflection of the society than of the media. I hope Reham and children get through this well.
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Oct 31, 2015 09:48am
Its all Imran Khan & Reham Khans fault, why did they tweet about the marriage break up, and why did the PTI spokesperson come on media to explain the matter, if it was private it should have remained private but now the PTI should'nt feel bad, just bear it.it may not be possible because Imran Khan does'nt have the temperament either.
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Oct 31, 2015 10:12am
And above all the divorce cases that are common in country. What about that??
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Oct 31, 2015 10:58am
coming back to Pakistan after a long time n looking at the tv channels now with this news taking up first 4 minutes of Headlines on every news channel like no body has seen such a thing. nobody talked about any thing when the London guy to go thru the same thing. or when Mr Punjab CM married some celebrity . but then again we as a nation ve started to listen to our political leader that when MR Premier said please dont give comments about the DUO we started listening to him and praise him while all our religions say do not do character assassination of any one.
I guess the peoples mind set is still to bug into every ones lives rather than resolve other matters like Fuel prices increasing, Communal Problems, Water shortage, Security... Etc.
Please Get a life, give personal life privacy and stop getting so involved in someone else's life. Media Please grow mature. you represent 200 million people to people outside this country think what you need to portray.
just my 2 cents.
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Oct 31, 2015 01:08pm
well thats an awesome description of our media. they need a news and then they start shouting and shouting until they find the next one and forget the previous.. they should have freedom but not that much..
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Oct 31, 2015 01:15pm
I guess what goes around comes around PTI behaviour has been not only vulgar but personal attacks by IK have been most indecent now they cone back to him same media his friend now his foe I guess that's called full circle of life!
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Oct 31, 2015 01:25pm
Imran, now enough is enough, please declare your innings closed
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Oct 31, 2015 02:36pm
This is a pure failure of IK who has not been able to keep his personal family and social life secure and clean. Wedding was made in urgency so was the divorce. One may ask why they wanted to keep it a secret until 2018.
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Oct 31, 2015 02:58pm
@Gramscian don,t discuss his personal matter ...
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Oct 31, 2015 03:58pm
This episode is a true representation of a society at the verge of a collapse.
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Oct 31, 2015 04:11pm
Unfortunately in our country every thing goes to its extreme, and same case is with media.
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Oct 31, 2015 04:34pm
I was appalled and ashamed at our Pakistani media. It completely depicted the moral degradation or our society. Our media has shed its last ounce of decency. From now, I would not be able to voice my dismay at the likes of CNN, BBC, Fox, etc.
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Oct 31, 2015 04:58pm
@Ali
Not clear what you trying to say - full circle of what - I am just amazed how people try to justify their interference in somebody's private matter. Media like all institutions in Pakistan has weak and below average leadership. When there are no values and no will to take moral high ground this is what you get. This has got more coverage than abuse of children in Kasur.
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Oct 31, 2015 05:09pm
To paraphrase, "Even the skies are jolted when a house is broken and husband and wife go thru a divorce" - this is the teaching of a religion that we boast to be the religion of peace and harmony in the world! And look how "well" we - the muslims - are following the "glorious" teachings and setting an example! We've become the scum of this earth - we should be ashamed of ourselves!
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Oct 31, 2015 05:15pm
it is very sad to see educated and decent family people stoop so low to enjoy the misery of another person's private life
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Oct 31, 2015 05:56pm
Media is very smart.They need audience,Any way they can get.more the people more the money.Matter or no Matter.
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Oct 31, 2015 06:39pm
I am glad at least someone is out there talking sane...This is absurd and unfortunate the way our media has behaved over this issue. I just ask one question how would these people feel if their 'personal lives' are disclosed and commented over like this...alas, it is sad and pathetic to see all this.
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Oct 31, 2015 06:56pm
Why is this a NEWS. It is their private matter, we have no rights to interfere in other people's personal matters. Better stay out of it.
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Oct 31, 2015 07:32pm
Excellent job
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Oct 31, 2015 07:43pm
Don't blame the media. They are in the "dhanda" of making
money. People want MASALA and that's what they shall get.
Don't blame the people, they have have been doing so since ages immemorial.
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Oct 31, 2015 11:06pm
We Pakistanis are experts in making issues into non-issues and a non issue of a very pressing problem! I agree that the Imran Khan/ Reham breakup is sad and a bit disappointing for their fans, but the way the media is creating a hype out of this divorce is totally disgusting! Yesterday it was 'Ye hai meri Dulhan tum in se milou' played again and again, today it is 'Bhula dena mujhe, alvida hai tujhe!' Shouldnt we expect a more mature response from our TV anchors and people posting comments on social media! A divorce is no Breaking News, it is a very private part of one's life, even if it is of a celebrity like IK! Please show some respect to them as they have parted with grace, without throwing allegations at each other!
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Nov 01, 2015 02:41am
Actually result of today's local bodies elections show that YES the divorce in all probability did have serious repercussions for PTI if not for the nation.
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Nov 01, 2015 11:58am
Except for few attention seekers,almost everybody respected IK-Reham marriage.
I am really saddened by split ,but its just private matter of IK-Reham.
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Nov 01, 2015 02:09pm
Our media always need some thing to bring up their rating, they should refrain from commenting on other's private life.
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Nov 01, 2015 04:59pm
The media sole purpose of media in Pakistan is to create sensation and hype and unfortunately that sells..All media exist to invest our lives with artificial perceptions and arbitrary values..
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Nov 01, 2015 07:44pm
Excruciatingly painful.
lmran should not do it
now the half soul of imran
shall wounder in ecstasy.
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Nov 02, 2015 03:11am
I wonder what brought them together.... Always had doubts, wont work, it did not.
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