In a significant legal development, Khawar Farid Maneka, the ex-husband of Bushra Bibi, the wife of Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan, filed a case against the couple. The complaint accuses the former first couple of fornication and fraudulent marriage. Maneka lodged the case in the court of Islamabad East Senior Civil Judge Qudratullah, invoking Sections 34 (common intention), 496 (marriage ceremony fraudulently gone through without lawful marriage), and 496-B (fornication) of the Pakistan Penal Code.
Maneka, recently granted bail in a graft case, reiterated in his statement that Imran Khan played a role in ruining his married life. The court has issued notices to three witnesses mentioned in the case, directing their appearance on November 28. The witnesses include Istekham-i-Pakistan Party member Awn Chaudhry, Mufti Muhammad Saeed who officiated the nikah, and Maneka’s house employee Latif.
Earlier this week, Maneka publicly held Imran responsible for the deterioration of his married life before Khan’s marriage to Bushra Bibi. The complaint emphasizes that Khan and Bushra should be “summoned and punished strictly in accordance with law in the interest of justice.” Maneka alleges that Khan frequently visited his house in his absence under the pretext of spiritual healing, which he deems “not only undesirable but unethical.” The complaint states that the alleged fornication occurred on January 1, 2018, after the divorce between Maneka and Bushra.
This legal challenge comes on the heels of another petitioner withdrawing a similar case, citing technical reasons.
By PTI
