Maneka drags Imran to court over 'illicit' marriage

Bushra Bibi's ex-husband claims fraudulent means while solemnising nikkah

Khawar Maneka, the ex-husband of deposed premier and PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi, on Saturday filed a case in the Islamabad High Court against the couple for marrying while she was allegedly sitting in Iddat and having “illicit” relations.

Iddat is a three-month waiting period that a Muslim woman must observe on account of the death of her husband or divorce before remarrying.

He filed a complaint against the former premier and his wife in an Islamabad court under sections 34 (common intention), 496 (marriage ceremony fraudulently gone through without lawful marriage) and 496B (fornication) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

Maneka, who in a recent TV interview blamed the PTI chief for ruining his married life, also submitted a statement to Islamabad East Senior Civil Judge Qudratullah under Section 200 (examination of complainant) of the Code of Criminal Procedure.

In the statement, he repeated the claims he had made in the interview as well as in his complaint against the couple.
The court summoned three witnesses in the case -- Istekham-e-Pakistan Party member Awn Chaudhry, Mufti Saeed (the cleric who solemnised the couple's nikkah), and Maneka’s domestic aide Latif — on Nov 28 (Tuesday).

A day earlier, a judicial magistrate disposed of a similar plea against Imran and his wife after the complainant withdrew his petition over “technical reasons”.

That complainant had also alleged that Imran and Bushra Bibi’s nikkah was illegitimate as she allegedly married him during her Iddat period.

Read : Magistrate dismisses 'un-Islamic' marriage case against Imran, Bushra

In his complaint, Maneka urged the court to summon the couple and “strictly” punish them in accordance with the law.
It read that Bushra’s UAE-based sister introduced her to the PTI chief during the “Islamabad dharna”, probably referring to the party’s 2014 sit-in.

Maneka continued that Imran started visiting his house “under the guise of spiritual healings” for hours – several times in his absence.

Imran’s actions were not “only undesirable but unethical” as well.
Bushra Bibi’s ex-husband claimed that he told the PTI chief to stay away from his house in a dignified manner but he continued to meddle in his domestic life.

Maneka wrote in the complaint that the PTI chief used to call his wife at late hours, with Bushra also given separate contact numbers and cellular phones.

He added that one night, he returned home to find ex-PM’s aide Zulfi Bukhari in his bedroom.

Maneka maintained that he “half-heartedly” divorced Bushra on Nov 14, 2017.

He continued that he had reconciliation in mind before Feb 2018 but the “premature nikkah” during Iddat between Imran and Bushra “frustrated his plans”.

Bushra’s ex-husband claimed that Farah Khan alias Gogi asked him to change the date of divorce on the papers but he refused to do so.

Read More: Imran ruined my married life: Bushra’s ex-husband

He stated that Imran and Bushra were married on Jan 1, 2018 and attached a copy of the alleged nikkah documents with his complaint.

Maneka described their nikkah as “neither legal nor Islamic as it was solemnised without observing [the] iddat period and both of them established illicit relations with each other”.

He added that Imran and Bushra solemnised nikkah again in Feb 2018 after the emergence of the reports of the earlier one being illegal.

In April this year, Mufti Saeed, who solemnised their nikkah, claimed that the initial ceremony was not conducted in accordance with the Islamic law, as it occurred during the Iddat period of Bushra Bibi.
The complaint read that the “heinous offence of fornication has been committed by respondents no 1 (Imran) and 2 (Bushra) and [a] drama of marriage was staged on Jan 1, 2018, knowingly that [the] iddat period” of Bushra had not completed.