Imran, Bushra ‘unlawful’ marriage case not political: Maneka

First husband of ex-first lady says he has no personal animosity towards PTI founder

Khawar Maneka, the first husband of Bushra Bibi, the wife of former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan, has said the case surrounding the ‘unlawful’ marriage of Khan and Bushra is not of a political nature, but rather a matter stemming from the ‘destruction of his home’, compelling him to seek justice in the court.

Speaking to the media after appearing in district courts on Monday, Maneka clarified that the case is "of original nature" and he has no personal animosity towards Imran Khan. "I don't know Khan... I don't even think about him," Maneka asserted.

The controversy surrounding the marriage escalated last month when the court sentenced Khan and Bushra to seven years imprisonment in what was deemed an "un-Islamic" marriage case. The court found that the couple had tied the knot while Bushra was in her period of Iddat, a mandatory waiting period observed by Muslim women after the dissolution of marriage.

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Senior civil judge Qudratullah, announcing the verdict, imposed a Rs500,000 fine on both Khan and Bushra. Failure to pay the fines could result in an additional four months of imprisonment.

The "illegal" marriage case, filed by Maneka, alleged that Bushra violated Islamic practices by not observing the mandatory pause, or Iddat, before marrying Khan. Maneka also accused the couple of having an adulterous relationship before their marriage.

During his interaction with the media today, Maneka expressed surprise at the revelation of the secret marriage and emphasised that secret marriages go against Islamic Sharia. He claimed that even their children were unaware of the divorce between him and Bushra and that they were only informed about their mother's marriage to Khan after attending court hearings.

Maneka revealed that he showed the children the marriage certificate, proving that Bushra and Khan got married on January 1, 2018. However, he noted that the children fond it hard to believe that the marriage actually took place. "My children are having a tough time for the last 5 years," Maneka stated.