Beyond Borders: Imran Khan’s ex-wife remarries, Taliban bans women in higher education

In this episode of Beyond Borders, we take a close look at the recent ban on women in institutions of higher education in Afghanistan, put in force by the Taliban. This led to protests by not only girls but by male students who in some cases, walked out of their classrooms. ALSO LISTEN: Why Bilawal Targeted PM Modi At UN, & Other Buzz From PakistanWe also take a closer look into the hostage crisis that unfolded in the restive Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa region in Pakistan, where members of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan captured a counter terrorism detainment centre before they were killed by Pakistani forces. We wind up with the recent leaked phone conversations between Imran Khan and multiple women, that pose serious questions on Imran Khan’s image of a reformed playboy. In fact, Imran Khan was in the news throughout the past week, with news of his ex-wife Reham Khan’s marriage to an actor. Ban on women in higher education in Afghanistan The decision, says Times of India correspondent Omer Farooq, shows the intent of the Taliban. Contrary to initial hopes that this time the Taliban government will treat its citizens equally, a spate of decisions in respect to women and education shows that this is the same Taliban which ruled Afghanistan from 1996 until October 2001. Much like earlier, when women were barred from education, forced to follow a strict dress code in public, and not allowed to leave their homes without a male guardian, the Taliban government, which stormed to power last year, is showing it has no intention of ruling with more leniency. The recent decision to ban women from higher education is being defended by the Taliban on the ground that it is necessary to prevent the mixing of genders in university. The minister for higher education, Nida Muhammed Nadim added that certain subjects being taught in universities violated the principles of Islam. In response, protests erupted across the country, with many -- including men --challenging the decree. However, Taliban government has responded forcefully to the protests. Hostage crisis in Pakistan, TTP terrorists gunned down Earlier last week, members of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) who had been detained in a counter-terrorism centre in Bannu in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, freed themselves and took hostages. They were finally killed after a hostage crisis that lasted two days. Bannu is located along the border with Afghanistan. According to Omer, the area is a sensitive spot for Pakistanis, who had hoped that tensions would ease once the Taliban came back to power in 2021. Before that, terrorist activity across the border had been rampant. This hope was reinforced when the then ISI chief, Lt Gen Faiz Hameed met the Taliban head, Mullah Baradar in October 2021, just after Taliban stormed to power in Afghanistan. The Taliban brokered a ceasefire between Pakistan and the TTP, which got called off last month. Pakistan, however, has complained of continued violence and attacks by TTP, even during the ceasefire. The attacks have now gone up exponentially, with a string of attacks taking place across the country. The attacks have now prompted other countries, including the US and UK embassies to issue an advisory to their staff to avoid visiting hotels and other public areas. Imran Khan – a public life The past week saw a series of stories coming out on former Pakistan prime minister, and chief of PTI, Imran Khan. From leaked phone tapes that were graphic in detail, to the re-marriage of his ex-wife, Reham Khan, the former Pakistan cricket star was hogging headlines. The latest leaks target the other side of Imran Khan’s projected image, that of a reformed playboy who is deeply religious and profoundly pious in the true Islamic way. The recordings of his explicit phone sex calls with multiple women were, however, dismissed by his supporters and party as fake. As Omer pointed out though, the leaked phone conversations made it abundantly clear that it was consensual, with both parties being adults. With Imran Khan going hard at the current government over many issues, many political commentators are not surprised that scandals are coming out of the closet. Meanwhile, Reham Khan, Imran’s former wife to whom he was married for months, remarried. Reham made news after her short nuptials with Imran, followed by a tell-all book on the former cricket star. The journalist, who married for the third time, tied the knot with Mirza Bilal, a news anchor.Audio production: Anil Chauhan