Mufti Saeed, the person who solemnised the marriage, and witness Awn Chaudhry recorded their statements in the unlawful marriage case against Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi, declaring that the wedding was not according to Shariah and illegal.
Senior Civil Judge Qudratullah heard the unlawful marriage case against the PTI chairman and Bushra. Advocate Raja Rizwan Abbasi appeared in court on behalf of petitioner Khawar Maneka, Bushra’s ex-husband.
During the hearing, Mufti Saeed took oath and sealed his statement, saying that on Jan 1, 2018, Imran contacted me to go Lahore for his Nikah with Bushra. On the request of Imran, he said, he went to Defence Lahore. Mufti Saeed said he asked Bushra’s sister whether the Shariah essentials of marriage were complete.
The woman, who identified herself as Bushra’s sister, said that Nikah could be read. The court inquired, “Why did you not ask Bushra yourself regarding Iddat?” Mufti Saeed replied, “We do not ask the woman for such a thing. I performed the marriage ceremony and later both of them settled in Bani Gala.”
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In Feb 2018, “I was contacted again by Imran Khan and was told that the marriage took place during the Iddat period”. Mufti Saeed said that Bushra and her friends told me that she and Maneka got divorced. Bushra Bibi was divorced in Nov 2017. “If the marriage takes place on the first day of Jan 2018, the PTI chairman will occupy a high position.” Imran himself “told me what Bushra had told him”.
Judge Qudratullah inquired that what the importance of Iddat was in Islam. Mufti Saeed said that the woman should spend the Iddat period at her husband's house so that the husband gets a chance to approach her again. “The purpose of performing Iddat is to find out if a woman is pregnant.”
The court inquired if the divorce was mediated, would the husband get an opportunity to appeal? “It is exactly like that,” Mufti Saeed said, adding that if the husband wanted to approach the woman after divorce, he could do so. Judge Qudratullah remarked that there was no such thing as contact among Shias and there was no verbal divorce either. “Did you solemnise both the marriages of Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi?”
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Mufti Saeed replied, “Yes! I have solemnised both Nikahs, the Jan 1 Nikah is signed by me while the Feb Nikah was verbal.” After that, Mufti Saeed's statement was sealed. Another witness, Awn Chaudhry, recorded his statement, saying that he was Imran’s political and private secretary and very close to him. “I was his eyes and ears. I used to see his political, personal, and family matters as well.”
In 2015, he said, Imran divorced Reham Khan at the request of Bushra and Reham was abroad at that time. “Imran Khan divorced Reham Khan through email.” Awn said that Imran was very worried about his marital relations those days, adding that he often said to take him to Bushra Bibi to get spiritual peace. “I used to take him to Bushra Bibi and sometimes the PTI chairman would go by himself.”
Awn said that on Dec 2017, the PTI chairman told him to take Bushra to Lahore and make marriage arrangements. “I was surprised because Bushra Bibi was already married, but Imran Khan said that Bushra Bibi had been divorced.” Awn said on Jan 1, 2018, “Zulfi Bukhari and I went to Lahore. Mufti Saeed performed this marriage ceremony in Defence Lahore, in which I was also a witness”.
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Awn said that there was a noise in the media that during the Iddat period, the PTI chairman and Bushra got married. Imran said that they should keep quiet, as they would remarry after the completion of the Iddat period.
Awn said that the second Nikah was performed verbally at Bani Gala in Feb 2018 and he was also present at that time.
“There is also a recording of the Nikah … both me and Zulfi Bukhari were there during the second Nikah.” Awn said the PTI chairman told him that if he married Bushra, he would become the prime minister. Awn completed his statement. The court adjourned the hearing till Dec 2. At the next hearing, the third witness of the case, Muhammad Latif, will record his statement.
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