The district and sessions court in Islamabad kept its verdict reserved in the 'un-Islamic' nikah case involving Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan and former First Lady, Bushra Bibi, as reported by ARY News. The judgment is set to be announced on May 29. The case was heard by Judge Shahrukh Arjumand, who reserved the decision after hearing arguments from both sides, before leaving the courtroom for his chamber.
The court session saw appearances from PTI counsel Usman Riaz Gul, the assistant counsel to Khawar Maneka's lawyer Rizwan Abbasi, and discussions about the unavailability of the case record. The PTI lawyer emphasized that the case was politically motivated due to the delayed complaint filing by Maneka, stressing that the matter of the marriage's validity should be under the family court's jurisdiction, not the criminal court. Furthermore, he referenced Bushra's statement under Section 342, indicating that she underwent divorce in April 2017 and remarried after completing the iddat period.
Imran Khan married Bushra Bibi in February 2018 in a private ceremony in Lahore, attended only by close relatives and friends. Mufti Saeed conducted the nikah, with former PTI leader Awn Chaudhary and former SAPM Zulfi Bukhari as witnesses. The case against the couple was filed by Bushra's former husband, Khawar Maneka, in November 2023, alleging that they had married without observing the mandatory waiting period required for Muslim women between two marriages. Subsequently, they were sentenced to seven years in prison and a fine by a trial court in February 2024. However, they challenged the order in Islamabad District and Sessions Court.
