Pakistan: Court summons Imran Khan over ‘un-Islamic’ marriage with third wife

A court in Pakistan on Thursday (Sept 21) directed the troubled former Prime Minister Imran Khan to appear in a case related to his alleged “un-Islamic” third marriage.

According to the allegations, the cricketer-turned-politician tied the knot with his wife Bushra Bibi in an “un-Islamic” fashion, a criminal offence in Pakistan.

The Islamabad High Court directed him to appear on September 25, as per an order issued by civil Judge Qudratullah to the Superintendent of Attock prison.

The court also advised Imran Khan’s lawyers to prepare arguments to be submitted before the court next week in the same case.

What are the allegations against Khan?

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman is accused of marrying his third wife Bushra Bibi even as her 'Iddat' was going on.

Iddat refers to the Islamic practice of a woman abstaining from marriage for a period of time after getting divorced or becoming a widow.

Earlier, a petition was filed against Imran Khan alleging criminal conduct. The petition accused Khan and his wife of cohabiting after their initial "nikkah" during Bushra Bibi's Iddat period.

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Khan has been incarcerated following his conviction in the Toshakhana case, with his arrest taking place at his Zaman Park residence in Lahore on August 5.

Brief timeline of the case

In July, the PTI chairman challenged the trial court's decision to admit a petition concerning the alleged unlawful marriage, resulting in a detailed judgment by Judicial Magistrate Qudratullah on July 18.

This ruling declared the petition admissible and summoned both Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi to appear in court.

Additionally, on July 14, Islamabad Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Azam Khan transferred the case to the judicial magistrate, overturning another civil court's ruling that deemed the plea against the marriage's legality inadmissible.

In his petition, the former Pakistan PM said that the allegations mentioned in the private complaint do not constitute an offence within the ambit of Section 496 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

It further stated, “Thus continuation of the trial would amount to the abuse of the process of law.”

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