In a hard-hitting interview with the Evening Standard, Jemima Khan discusses her marriage with PM Khan. Jemima Khan revealed that like Monica Lewinsky, she felt used.
After her divorce from PM Khan, Jemima pursued a master’s from SOAS. Later she began a lucrative career centering on documentary film-making. One of the documentaries she made was about Monica Lewinsky, the woman who allegedly had an affair with former US President Clinton. The affair led to President Clinton’s impeachment.
Bill Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky became one of the subjects of Jemima Khan’s documentary titled “Impeachment” currently airing in the US. During the filming, she became friends with Monica Lewinsky.
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My interview about Impeachment & working on the show with my friend and co-producer @MonicaLewinsky (BBC2 October 19th) https://t.co/IjHEh3p3Zw
— Jemima Goldsmith (@Jemima_Khan) October 13, 2021
Jemima Khan spoke at length about working with Lewinsky on the documentary and how it made her realize aspects of her life.
“During the interviews, she was describing the FBI sting, and I suddenly realized that same year, in Pakistan, I’d had to leave the country because I’d also been threatened with jail on politically trumped charges. I’d been accused of smuggling antiques, one of the few non-bailable offenses in Pakistan,” Jemima said.
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A heavy price paid
Back in 1999, the then PM Nawaz Sharif accused Jemima of smuggling. According to old news reports, Jemima sent 397 tiles to her mother in London. However, customs authorities seized the package in Pakistan. Upon inspection, the archaeological department declared that the tiles were “antiques”.
Imran Khan accused the then government of trying to malign his wife in a fake case because he criticized Nawaz Sharif’s government.
“I realized there were parallels, marrying an older, politically powerful man and being used to undermine him,” Jemima further added.
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On another note, Jemima Khan also reflected on how young she was when she married PM Khan.
It is not a normal decision, aged 21, with all the freedoms and privileges that we grew up with, to essentially give those up, to go and live in extremely black and white culture and adopt a black and white way of life and doctrine, with a man who was twice my age and a born again Muslim,” she said.
“At that point in my life, I found some reassurance in the prescriptiveness of that culture, that religion, that man…It was seen as this great amorous adventure and I am not sure that was the whole story. I would say, in retrospect, that moral certainty might have been more of a driving factor…,” she continued.