ISLAMABAD: A district and sessions court in Islamabad has rejected a petition. That is arguing that former Prime Minister Imran Khan and former First Lady Bushra Bibi lived together despite their first marriage being in place.
The petitioner claimed both solemnized their marriage before completing Bushra Bibi’s mandatory waiting period (iddat).
The petitioner, Muhammad Haneef, alleged that Bushra Bibi was divorced by her previous husband in November 2017. Then married Imran Khan on January 1, 2018, before her iddat period had ended. Muhammad Haneef claimed that this action goes against Islamic Sharia law and the norms of the Muslim community. However, the court has deemed the petition inadmissible.
The petitioner presented the statements of Mufti Muhammad Saeed, who conducted the marriage between Imran and Bushra, and Awn Chaudhry, a close friend of Imran who acted as one of the witnesses. The court acknowledged that the alleged marriage ceremony took place in Lahore. It states that any potential offense would fall under the jurisdiction of a competent court in Lahore.
The session court judge, Nasrumminallah, emphasizes that if the complainant felt aggrieved by the respondents’ actions. They should approach the appropriate court in Lahore. The petitioner had filed the case in Islamabad court, arguing that since Imran and Bushra had relocated to the federal capital. After their marriage residing in Imran’s Bani Gala residence, the Islamabad court should hear the case.
The petitioner refers to the concept of “valid retirement” or “khilwat-us-sahiha” in Sharia law. This signifies a situation where a husband and wife are alone together without any legal, moral, or physical impediment to engaging in marital relations.
However, the court ruled that it lacked jurisdiction to address the matter since the marriage ceremony. That is occur within the territorial jurisdiction of a competent court in Lahore. Therefore, the court declared the petition as not admissible within its jurisdiction.
