Imran-Bushra first Nikah solemnised during her Iddat, says Mufti Saeed

ISLAMABAD: Mufti Saeed, who solemnised the Nikah of PTI Chairman Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi, in his statement before Senior Civil Judge, Islamabad, said on Wednesday that Imran-Bushra marriage was illegal as they contracted the union during the latter’s Iddat. He also said that he was told by Imran about the prediction that he would become the prime minister if he married Bushra Bibi.

Saeed recorded his statement before Senior Civil Judge, Islamabad, Nasar Minallah, in an illegal marriage case here on Wednesday. In his recorded statement, Mufti Saeed quoted Imran as saying: “There was a prediction that he (Imran Khan) would become the prime minister if he married Bushra Bibi.”

Mufti further said in the statement that former prime minister and Bushra Bibi married during Iddat, which was illegal.

Mufti Saeed claimed that Imran Khan contacted him over the phone on January 1, 2018 asking him to solemnise his marriage with Bushra Bibi. The PTI chief took him to a house in DHA, Lahore, where he met a woman who identified herself as Bushra Bibi’s sister.

Mufti said that he asked the woman if Bushra Bibi’s Nikah could be solemnised as per Shariah. To this, the woman told him that all the Shariah conditions for Bushra Bibi’s marriage were fulfilled.

Khan’s friends Zulfi Bukhari and former party leader Awn Chaudhry had said the Nikah was solemnised by Mufti Saeed in Lahore. They both also stood witness to Khan’s Nikah. Saeed further said that he solemnised Khan’s Nikah with Bushra Bibi on January 1, 2018 following the woman’s assurance.

“Then the former premier contacted me again on February 2018 and requested me to solemnise his Nikah with Bushra Bibi ‘again’ as the first time it was against the Shariah,” Mufti Saeed told the court. He said that the first time when the Nikah was solemnised, Bushra Bibi’s Iddat hadn’t ended.

Mufti Saeed quoted Imran Khan as saying that Bushra Bibi was divorced in November 2017 and that there was a “prediction” that he (PTI chairman) would become the prime minister of Pakistan if he married Bushra Bibi.

Saeed added that the first Nikah was illegal which had been solemnised during Iddat period on the basis of the “prediction”.

Mufti Saeed also made this claim on January 24 during the Geo News programme Jirga. It had been reported that the former PM’s third Nikah took place on January 1, 2018. However, the party had denied the report at that time.

The news about the former PM’s third marriage was first broken by a senior correspondent of The News, Umar Cheema, who said that the Nikah first took place on January 1, 2018. However, the party denied the report at that time.

Cheema had reported that Khan married Bushra when she was observing Iddat. In his report, the journalist said that to hide the fact about Bushra’s Iddat, pictures were released on February 18, 2018.

He further claimed that Khan appealed to Mufti Saeed to keep it secret.

Cheema added that Mufti Saeed had expressed reservations with people close to him and said if he revealed the truth, it would lead to an issue and he could not let anyone know that he blindly trusted Khan and Bushra Bibi and he was kept in the dark regarding the Nikah being held during Iddat.

According to Maneka family sources, Bushra’s former in-laws, the divorce took place on November 14, 2017, which was confirmed by Bushra’s friend Farah Jabeen and the Iddat was completed on February 14.