ISLAMABAD – A district and sessions court in the federal capital on Tuesday ruled the case against the “illegal” marriage of former prime minister Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi as admissible.
Civil Judge Qudratullah, who had reserved the verdict the previous day, issued notices to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman and his wife, summoning them to appear in court on July 20.
Earlier, Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Islamabad Muhammad Azam Khan had remanded the case to a civil judge and dismissed a previous civil court’s decision that deemed a petition challenging the legality of the marriage inadmissible.
The petitioner, Muhammad Hanif, alleged that Bushra Bibi was divorced by her former husband in November 2017 and married Imran Khan on January 1, 2018, while still within her iddat period, which is contrary to Sharia and Muslim norms.
In court, the petitioner presented statements from Mufti Muhammad Saeed, who officiated the marriage, and Awn Chaudhry, Imran’s close friend and a witness at the wedding. Mufti Saeed confirmed that he had solemnized the Nikah between Imran and Bushra on January 1, 2018, with the assurance of a woman claiming to be Bushra Bibi’s sister. However, Imran Khan later asked Saeed to solemnize the Nikah again in February 2018, stating that the first time had been against Shariah because Bushra Bibi’s iddat had not ended.
