‘Un-Islamic’ marriage case against PTI chief, Bushra Bibi quashed

ISLAMABAD: A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Friday quashed ‘un-Islamic’ marriage case against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi, ARY News reported.

In an application submitted in the court, Muhammad Hanif — the petitioner — said: “For the time being, the applicant wants to withdraw the above said complaint due to technical reasons.”

“If permission to withdraw the complaint is not accorded, applicant shall suffer irreparable loss,” the application stated.

Following the submission of application, Judicial Magistrate Qudrat Ullah granted permission for the withdrawal of the complaint under Section 248 Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and quashed the case.

Marriage

PTI chief Imran Khan had married Bushra Maneka or Bushra Bibi in February 2018 in Lahore.

The ceremony was attended by only close relatives, including the bride’s mother, and friends. Imran Khan’s sisters, however, were not in attendance.

Mufti Saeed had performed the nikah in the presence of former PTI leader Awn Chaudhary and Zulfi Bukhari who appeared as witnesses.

The PTI chief has been married twice before. His first marriage was with Jemima Goldsmith, daughter of a British billionaire in 1995. The couple divorced in 2004.

Imran Khan’s second marriage to Reham Khan dissolved 10 months after a public ceremony had taken place in January 2015.

The case

The petitioner, Muhammad Hanif, had sought legal action against PTI chief Imran Khan for marrying his wife, Bushra Bibi, while she was reportedly on Iddat.

Iddat is a 130-day waiting period, or a period of abstinence, after the dissolution of a woman’s marriage through divorce, death, or any other form of separation from her husband, during which the woman remains unmarried.

The petitioner submitted in the court the statements of Mufti Muhammad Saeed — who conducted the marriage – and Awn Chaudhry, one of the witnesses at the wedding.

Saeed, who solemnised the couple’s nikah, had said that the PTI chief married Bushra Bibi during the latter’s iddat, despite knowing everything.