Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s controversial marriage case has taken an unexpected turn. Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) of Islamabad, Muhammad Azam Khan, has declared the case, scrutinising the legality of Khan’s marriage to Bushra Bibi during her Iddat period as permissible.
The previous civil court’s verdict deemed a petition challenging the marriage’s legality as inadmissible. ADSJ Khan remanded the case back to the civil court, which had initially held that it lacked the jurisdiction to hear the case as the alleged Nikah was solemnised in Lahore.
The petitioner, Muhammad Hanif, argued that the couple cohabited, and the first Nikah took place without completing Bibi’s mandatory Iddat period. The defence included statements from Mufti Muhammad Saeed, who conducted the marriage, and Awn Chaudhry, a close friend of Khan’s and witness to the wedding. Hanif contended that the court in Islamabad should hear the case as the couple moved to the federal capital soon after their Nikah. However, the civil court maintained its lack of jurisdiction.
Legal Cases Surrounding Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi
In another legal development, Accountability Court No 1 Islamabad Judge Muhammad Bashir extended the interim bail of the former PM and his wife in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case until July 19. The court will also hear final arguments on the bail applications of both Khan and Bibi on the same date.
Simultaneously, a local court in Islamabad accepted Khan’s exemption plea in the Toshakhana case and adjourned the hearing till July 17, 2023. Despite the court’s repeated summons, Khan’s repeated absences in the hearings have been noted with frustration by the presiding judge.
In the Judicial Complex riots case, the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) issued a bailable arrest warrant for Khan and PTI leaders Farrukh Habib, Shibli Faraz, and Hassan Niazi. Khan’s counsel sought an exemption from attendance, but the judge insisted on the former PM’s appearance.
Khan recently skipped his appearance before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Rawalpindi, in the £190 million National Crime Agency (NCA) UK settlement case and sought a fresh date for his appearance. He is expected to appear in Islamabad courts on July 19.
