Pak PM's ex wife says he took 'instructions' on radio broadcast

New Delhi:Call it a major surprise or anything else, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was 'waiting for instructions' to make his radio broadcast on Pulwama terror attack, former cricket-star-turned politician's ex-wife Reham Khan has said.

"....he was not only evading the subjects; he was waiting for instructions," Ms Khan told Indian Today television.

She said - "The speech by Imran Khan (on Tuesday) was very measured. It said what needed to be said. It was very balanced; ticked all the boxes of diplomacy. However, it came a bit too late, by my standard".

"This is my personal opinion but once such a huge incident happens in any country, be it India or any other part of the world; there should have been a swift condemnation by the Prime Minister of Pakistan," she remarked.

Ms Khan, who divorced Pakistan PM on October 30, 2015, also said - "On this occasion (Pulwama) and also on Iranian incident (that killed 27 Iranian security guards), there was no tweet. He (Imran) was conveniently tweeting about winter rains. So I was a bit surprised".

However, very quickly, she hastened to add: "well not quite surprised....he was not only evading the subjects; he was waiting for the instructions".

Libyan-born British-Pakistani journalist and an author Ms Reham is ethnically of Pashtun origins.On 6 January 2015, Imran Khan confirmed his marriage to Reham - but the wedlock ended on October 30, 2015 in a divorce.

In her interactions, Ms Reham also made a veiled attack on Pakistani military establishment and went on to say, "Today (February 19) instructions were very clear, and I cannot find any fault with the speech".

"But even today, I think he (Imran Khan) should have been a bid bigger and (should have) given a very categorical condemnation of the incident," she said.

Imran Khan's radio broadcast - coming five day after February 14 Pulwama attack - was criticised strongly by the Ministry of External Affairs in India.

"We are not surprised that the Prime Minister of Pakistan refuses to acknowledge the attack on our security forces in Pulwama as an act of terrorism. Prime Minister of Pakistan has neither chosen to condemn this heinous act nor condoled with the bereaved families," an official statement said.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also was critical of Imran Khan and said: "There is not even a pretext of a condemnation of the incident; let alone sympathy for the bereaved families..not even a lip sympathy for them".

In a post on social media, AICC media in-charge Randeep Surjewala said, "It is unfortunate and shameful that Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan is today speaking the language of the Jaish-e-Mohammed".(UNI)