Islamabad, September 21, 2023 – An Islamabad district and sessions court have issued a summons for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan to appear in court on September 25 in a case related to his marriage with his third wife, Bushra Bibi, being termed “un-Islamic.”
Civil Judge Qudratullah has instructed court staff to serve the summons to the Attock jail superintendent, where Khan has been detained since his arrest on August 5 in connection with the Toshakhana case.
Imran Khan, the former prime minister, faced accusations of misusing his premiership from 2018 to 2022 to buy and sell state gifts worth more than Rs140 million ($635,000) received during foreign visits.
Despite the Islamabad High Court overturning a lower court’s decision to jail him in the Toshakhana case, Khan remains in detention due to his arrest in the cipher case. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officially arrested him under the Official Secrets Act.
The “Imran-Bushra” marriage case began in May when a district and sessions court in Islamabad rejected a plea challenging the validity of Imran Khan’s marriage to Bushra Bibi. The court deemed the application “inadmissible,” but in July, another Islamabad court overruled this decision.
The petitioner, Muhammad Hanif, had claimed that Bushra Bibi married Khan on January 1, 2018, during her Iddat period, which he argued goes against Sharia law and Muslim norms.
The court received statements from Mufti Muhammad Saeed, who conducted the marriage ceremony, and Awn Chaudhry, Imran Khan’s close friend and one of the wedding witnesses.
Mufti Saeed revealed that Khan initially married Bushra Bibi on January 1, 2018, during her Iddat period, but later requested a second Nikah, acknowledging the first as against Sharia law. This request was based on a “prediction” that Khan would become the prime minister of Pakistan if he married Bushra Bibi.
Mufti Saeed clarified that the first Nikah was conducted while Bushra Bibi’s Iddat was ongoing and, therefore, illegal according to Islamic law.
In February 2018, PTI announced Imran Khan’s marriage to Bushra Riaz Watoo, now known as Bushra Bibi, a respected faith healer. The private ceremony took place in Lahore.
Before this marriage, Imran Khan had two prior marriages. His first was to Jemima Goldsmith in 1995, which ended in 2004, and resulted in two children, Suleman and Qasim, who reside with their mother. His second marriage was to Reham Khan in January 2015, which ended within 10 months.
Read more: Imran Khan Hires UK Lawyer to Represent Him in International Courts
As the summons for Imran Khan’s appearance approaches, the “un-Islamic nikah” case continues to generate significant attention and discussion in Pakistan’s legal and political circles.
