E-Paper
What Maryam Nawaz's son Junaid Safdar said about his first wife after announcing divorce on Instagram Stories in 2023
Junaid Safdar and Ayesha Saif Ur Rahman had a nikah ceremony in London in 2021. He announced his divorce two years later.
The wedding festivities of Pakistani politician Maryam Nawaz's son, Junaid Safdar, have taken over the country's social media, with people reviewing every event, every look and nearly every detail of the VIP event in Lahore over the weekend.
Safdar, who belongs to one of Pakistan's most prominent political families, married Shanzeh Ali Rohale in what is being described as the biggest political wedding in the cash-strapped nation in recent years. He is the grandson of former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
This is Safdar's second marriage, over two years after her announced his divorce from his first wife. The England-educated groom was earlier married to Ayesha Saif Ur Rehman.
Junaid Safdar on his 2023 divorce
He had confirmed the divorce in a note on Instagram Stories in October 2023.
“News about my divorce is true. This is an entirely private matter and I request the media to respect our privacy," he wrote.
“I hope with this decision we find our peace In Shaa Allah. I will speak no further on this matter. I wish her well.”
Safdar had married Ayesha Saif Ur Rehman in August 2021 in London at the Lanesborough hotel in Knightsbridge, according to a Dawn report. Though Nawaz Sharif attended the London nikah ceremony, the groom's parents - Maryam Nawaz and Captain (retd) Muhammad Safdar - could not attend as they were barred from travelling outside Pakistan. They attended the nikah via video call, the report said.
"I was in jail when my beloved mother passed away and now I won’t be able to share my son’s happiness, but, I will NOT make any request to this government for travel abroad. I leave the matter to Almighty Allah," Maryam Nawaz had said in a post on X in August 2021.
The first marriage also saw glitzy wedding festivities in Pakistan too, following the nikah in London.
Who is Junaid Safdar's first wife Ayesha Saif Ur Rehman?
Ayesha Saifur Rehman is the daughter of businessman Saif Ur Rahman Khan, who headed Pakistan's anti-corruption body, Ehtesab Bureau, during Sharif's second tenure as Pakistan prime minister in 1997. She was born and raised in Qatar, where her father is now based. Khan heads Redco International. Following schooling in Qatar, Ayesha Saifur Rehman went to University College London from where she graduated in BEng in Civil Engineering, according to a GeoTV report.
(Also Read: Junaid Safdar’s first wife Ayesha Saif Ur Rehman Khan in spotlight as he ties the knot again)
