Pakistan

LHC registrar objects to plea seeking Imran-Bushra marriage record

Says petitioner not an 'aggrieved person' in this matter

Rana Yasif November 28, 2023

PHOTO: FILE

LAHORE:

The registrar office of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday raised objections to a plea seeking the court to issue directions to the concerned authorities to produce records related to former first lady Bushra Bibi's nikkah with former prime minister Imran Khan and the divorce record of her ex-husband Khawar Farid Maneka.

The registrar office objected to the petitioner's move, stating that he was not an aggrieved person in this matter.

Muhammad Afaq Advocate, the petitioner, had highlighted several points in his plea, questioning the procedure followed in the issuance and verification of the divorce certificate.

He sought clarification on whether the iddat — a waiting period that a Muslim woman must observe on account of the death of her husband or dissolution of the marriage — duration starts from the date of divorce or the date it is presented before the union council.

The petitioner also questioned the possibility of entering into a second marriage without a divorce certificate and the procedures adopted by the nikkah khawan during the nikkah ceremony following the issuance of the divorce certificate.

Additionally, Afaq raised concerns about the details provided by Bushra Bibi's ex-husband during a local TV interview, deeming them suspicious.

He urged the court to direct Khawar Maneka to produce his divorce certificate with Bushra Bibi. Furthermore, he called for Mufti Saeed, the cleric who solemnised the nikkah, to present the nikkahnama of Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi.

The petitioner further requested the chairman of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to produce the family details of Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi. He also sought the civil secretariat's cooperation in producing the divorce certificate and details of the mechanism adopted in the divorce.

Lastly, the plea called to summon the TV anchorperson of a private news channel who conducted Maneka’s interview.