Bushra Bibi, the wife of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, has sought dismissal of the petition filed by her ex-husband, Khawar Maneka, challenging the “fraudulent marriage” between her and the PTI former chief.
Maneka had lodged a complaint last month, describing the union as “un-Islamic” and asserting that it took place during the iddat, the period of isolation after divorce.
In response, Bushra Bibi, represented by her lawyer Barrister Salman Akram Raja, has approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC), contending that the trial court lacks jurisdiction to hear the case.
She argues that high courts, in previous judgments, have deemed marriages during iddat as irregular but not annulled.
The plea also asserts that Maneka’s complaint is driven by malice and is based on false and fabricated documents.
According to Maneka, he verbally divorced Bushra three times on April 15, 2017, and formally divorced her on November 14, 2017. Bushra, the former first lady, reportedly moved to her mother’s house in August 2017 and remained there until her marriage to Imran Khan on January 1, 2018.
In her plea to the IHC, Bushra Bibi seeks to declare the order of the additional sessions judge East, issued on January 11, as “null and void.”
She urges the court to dismiss the case and suspend trial court proceedings until a decision is reached on her application.
Maneka, in his petition, reiterates his allegations against Imran Khan, accusing him of ruining his life and intruding into his peaceful marital life for unethical and immoral objectives.
He deems the nikah fraudulent, emphasizing that it occurred during Bushra’s iddat.
The petitioner has recorded his statement before the civil judge, with a hearing scheduled for November 28.
Mufti Saeed, Aun Chaudhry, and Muhammad Latif have been nominated as witnesses in the case.
