February 4
While Presidential spokesmen here have refuted a flood of reports that President Asif Ali Zardari may have secretly married again, the speculation persists, primarily because the denial is yet to come from the President himself.

It is being reported that Asif Zardari got married according to Muslim shiyat bylaws to Dr Tanveer Zamani in Dubai last week. Some reports hold the ceremony is yet to be held while according to others, paperwork and pre-nuptials have been confirmed.

Dr Zamani, in her late forties, is a practising surgeon and a PPP activist in the US. She is of a Mediterranean descent and resides in New York. The President’s spokesman Farhatulla Babar told the media, “These speculative reports are the figment of a sick imagination, showing that the President’s opponents have chosen to target his personal life.”

But the Group Editor of ‘The News’, Shaheen Sehbai, says when he talked to Dr Zamani on telephone, she responded to his questions in a “rather roundabout manner”. Asked to confirm or deny the reports of her marriage, Zamani said she would not say anything but added that she has sought legal advice on the matter. To another question as to what was illegal about a very personal matter and why she had sought legal advice, Zamani said: “Personal matters are a very low priority. We have to handle the Egypt situation, the prices situation (in Pakistan), introduce Bilawal as the PPP leader, and many other issues.”

Sehabi asked her again, “Are you Mrs Zardari? ” She replied, “I would not comment on it.” “So you would not deny or confirm,” Sehbai asked. She said, “no comments”. Sehbai adds: “I thanked her, wondering whether I had just completed the first interview of Pakistan’s prospective First Lady.

Dr Zamani, a graduate from Sindh Medical College, did her PhD in Political Science from Ireland in 1996 before moving to the US. Many websites claim that she owns estates in London, Dubai, Islamabad and Manhattan.

PPP’s Sen. Akbar Khwaja told this correspondent that he knew Zamani very well but insisted that the marriage reports are incorrect. Reports circulating on blogs say Zamani has recently been prohibited to attend public meetings due to security issues. In one such report it has been claimed that President Zardari in a meeting with Obama, requested his help in arranging security for Zamani.

According to one blog, the marriage will not be announced till next elections in Pakistan.