Court declares plea against Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi's Nikah inadmissible

A district and sessions court in Islamabad Saturday ruled that the plea against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s alleged un-Islamic Nikah with Bushra Bibi was “inadmissible.”

The application, according to the court, was outside its jurisdiction, as it entailed the case of Nikah during iddat, which is the period of waiting observed by Muslim women following divorce of death of spouse.

Senior Civil Judge Nasrum Minallah announced the reserved decision on case, the hearing of which was held today.

The petitioner’s counsel Raja Rizwan Abbasi argued why Khan remarry Bushra Bibi if their marriage was legal. He asserted that marriage during iddat is “illegal.”

“It is a fraudulent to say that you will become the prime minister if you get married on the first day of 2018,” he said, continuing his arguments. “In January 2018, Bushra Bibi was in iddat. The divorce took place in November,” Abbasi added.

“Imran Khan’s marriage took place in Lahore. How does this court have jurisdiction?” the judge asked.

The lawyer responded stating that the fraud began from Bani Gala in Islamabad and the Nikkah officiator was also taken from Islamabad. “In February 2018, Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi’s Nikkah was again officiated.”

'Imran’s third marriage based on fraud'

During the hearing of the case earlier this month, former PTI leader Aun Chaudhry said Imran’s third marriage ceremony and wedding with the former first lady was based on a fraud and claimed that the PTI chief divorced Reham Khan through an email on Bushra Bibi's advice.

Chaudhry, who is the adviser to the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on sports and tourism, said that Bushra had told Imran Khan that if he would marry her, he would become the prime minister. He also claimed Imran was aware that Bushra Bibi’s iddat had not ended but they still got married.

He also spoke about arranging Khan’s wedding ceremony on his request. “Mufti Saeed asked Bushra Bibi for the divorce certificate in front of me at the time of the marriage. When the news of the marriage broke in the media during Eid-ul-Fitr, the ceremony was redone on February 18.”