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Published 29 Jul, 2017 12:57am

'Good riddance to Nawaz': Jemima lauds disqualification of PM by apex court

Cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khan's ex-wife Jemima Goldsmith on Friday took to Twitter to express her satisfaction over the disqualification of Nawaz Sharif as prime minister who, she said, attempted to have her imprisoned while she was pregnant with her second child.

"Good riddance to the man who tried to get me jailed when I was pregnant with my second child on trumped-up (non-bailable) charges of smuggling," Goldsmith said, referring to the time she was charged with illegally exporting 397 antique tiles out of Pakistan in January 1999.

The tiles, which were being sent to Goldsmith's mother in London were intercepted by customs officials in Lahore, which she and Imran maintained had been purchased at a shop in Islamabad for about $570, BBC reported.

The tiles were ascertained to be about 300-400 year old antiques by archaeologists, but Jemima and Imran said they had been assured by the shopkeeper that they had no historical value.

Goldsmith, in a Sunday Telegraph article, claimed she was falsely accused by the Nawaz Sharif government of smuggling antiques, which is a non-bailable offence.

"I’m afraid I scarpered before I could be arrested and only returned to Pakistan six months later, once there had been a military coup and the charges against me had been dropped," she mockingly recalled.

Her claim was echoed by Imran ─ by then politically active ─ who accused the government of a campaign to undermine his political activities.

The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chief claimed that the Goldsmith could not risk returning to Pakistan during the Nawaz-led government.

"I asked Jemima not to return to Pakistan because Nawaz Sharif wanted her arrested under the false charges of smuggling antiques," he reportedly said.

Jemima and Imran welcomed their second son, Kasim, in April 1999, and announced their split in 2004 after nine years of marriage.

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