‘Fraudulent marriage' case: Bushra Bibi moves IHC for dismissal of plea by ex-husband

ISLAMABAD: Bushra Bibi, the wife of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, Monday approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking dismissal of the plea filed by ex-husband Khawar Maneka against the "fraudulent marriage' between her and the PTI chief.

Maneka, last month, filed a petition against the “un-Islamic” marriage between Khan and Bushra Bibi in a district and sessions court in Islamabad. The development came only a day after petitioner Muhamad Hanif withdrew a similar petition challenging the nikah of the PTI chief “due to technical reasons”.

However, Bushra Bibi, via her lawyer Barrister Salman Akram Raja, has moved the IHC with her plea dismissing the admissibility of the case and stating that a trial court has no jurisdiction to hear it.

In her plea, she mentioned that in their judgments the high courts declared marriages in iddat to be irregular, not annulled.

The petition further contested that Bushra's ex-husband filed a complaint under malice for nefarious purposes, falsely alleging marriage during iddat on the basis of false and fabricated documents.

According to Maneka, the petition read, he divorced Bushra on November 14, 2017, and had verbally divorced her thrice on April 15, 2017. While the former first lady moved to her mother's house in August 2017, and stayed there till her marriage with PTI founder on January 1, 2018.

In her plea to IHC, Khan's wife has sought to declare "null and void" the order of the additional sessions judge East on January 11.

The case, it added, should be dismissed and proceedings of the trial court should be stayed pending the decision on the application.

Maneka's plea against 'fraudulent marriage'

Bushra's ex-husband termed the nikkah as fraudulent, saying the marriage was solemnised during her iddat (the time a woman goes into isolation after a divorce or her husband's death).

“That above said nikah and the marriage ceremony was neither legal nor Islamic as it was solemnised without observing iddah period…,” read the petition available with Geo.tv.

In his petition against the fraudulent marriage, Maneka reiterated the allegations that he made in the interview, accusing PTI chief Imran of ruining his entire life, “stigmatised the complainant and his family just to achieve his unethical and immoral objects through intrusion in complainant's peaceful marital life..”

“In light of above, it is humbly prayed that respondents No.1 [Imran Khan] and 2 [Bushra Bibi] be summoned and punished strictly in accordance with law in the interest of justice,” the petitioner prayed to the court.

Maneka has also recorded his statement before the civil judge and a hearing of the case has fixed been for November 28

Mufti Saeed, Aun Chaudhry, and Muhammad Latif have been nominated as witnesses in the petition.