Petition against Imran Khan’s Nikah withdrawn

ISLAMABAD: A court of judicial magistrate in Islamabad on Friday dismissed a plea seeking action against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan for solemnising nikah “against Sharia” with his present wife Bushra Bibi as the plaintiff withdrew his petition.

Muhammad Hanif — the petitioner — had moved the court seeking legal action against the former prime minister for marrying his present wife while she was reportedly on iddat, but he withdrew his case, leading to its dismissal.

In his recent application submitted in the court, 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."

Keeping in view the statement of the complainant, Judicial Magistrate (East) Qudrat Ullah granted permission for the withdrawal of the complaint under Section 248 Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and wrapped up the case.

Imran-Bushra marriage case

The petitioner, Muhammad Hanif, had claimed that Bushra Bibi was divorced by her former husband in November 2017 and married Khan on January 1, 2018, despite the fact that her Iddat period had not ended, "which is against the Sharia and Muslim norms."

The complainant submitted in the court the statements of Mufti Muhammad Saeed — who conducted the marriage between Imran and Bushra, and Awn Chaudhry — Imran's close friend — 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 (the time a woman goes into isolation after her husband dies or divorces her), despite knowing everything.

In his statement to a lower court, Saeed said he had solemnised Khan's nikah with Bushra Bibi on January 1, 2018, over the assurance of a woman claiming to be the former first lady's sister.

"Then the former premier contacted me again in February 2018 and requested me to solemnise his nikah with Bushra Bibi again as the first time it was against the Shariah," Saeed stated before the court.

He said that the first time when the nikah was solemnised, Bushra Bibi's Iddat hadn't ended.

He quoted Khan as saying that Bushra Bibi had been divorced in November 2017 and that there was a "prediction" that the PTI chairman would become the prime minister of Pakistan if he married Bushra Bibi.

Mufti Saeed added that the first nikah was illegal, which had been solemnised based on the "prediction".

Marriage

In February 2018, the PTI had announced that Khan married Bushra Riaz Watoo, better known now as Bushra Bibi, who is a respected faith healer. The ceremony was held in Lahore.

Although Khan's sisters were not in attendance, the bride's mother and friends attended the intimate ceremony.

Before marrying the spiritual guide, Khan was married twice.

He first married Jemima Goldsmith, daughter of a British billionaire, in 1995, but it ended in 2004. He has two kids — Suleman and Qasim — from his first wife. Both of them live with their mother.

His second marriage was to Reham Khan in January 2015, which dissolved in a short span of 10 months.