Mufti Saeed, Aun Chaudhry say Imran Khan's Nikah with Bushra Bibi was 'illegal and against Shariah'

Mufti Saeed, the man who had solemnised the nikah of former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan with Bushra Bibi and former PTI leader Aun Chaudhry recorded their statements in the PTI chairman’s nikah case in a court in Islamabad on Tuesday, saying they considered the Nikah as “illegal and against Shariah”, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

In his statement , Aun said that he was 45-year-old and his caste was Gujjar, and now he was the secretary of Istehkame Pakistan Party (IPP). “Since I was Imran’s private secretary, therefore I was quite close to him. I was privy to his lot of personal matters,” he said, and added, “I also had information about his family matters.”

It was in November 2015, he went on to say, that the PTI chairman divorced his wife Reham Khan. “Before divorcing her, he sought Bushra Bibi’s advice,” he said, adding, “And it was after the latter gave him permission that he divorced Reham.”

“Since at that time she was abroad Imran divorced her via e-mail,” Aun elaborated.

Ex-PTI leader told the court that after the break-up, PTI chairman lost his heart and used to remain worried.

He said that the former prime minister would say to him, “Take me to Bushra, take me to Bushra so that I could find peace.”

He informed that on his insistence, he would take him to Bushra’s residence.

It was on December 31, 2017, Aun explained, that Imran told me that he wanted to take Bushra to Lahore.

“He also asked me to make arrangements for his wedding with Bushra,” he said, adding, “I was stunned when I heard Imran say these words because Bushra at that time was a married woman.”

But later Imran, Aun said, told him that Bushra had been divorced now. “On January 1, 2018, I accompanied by PTI leader and former prime minister’s close friend Zulfi Bukhari went to Lahore where Mufti Saeed solemnized the nikah.”

“And I was a witness in that marriage,” he informed.

He further said that when at the time of solemnizing of nikah, Mufti asked Bushra whether she was still married, the latter replied in negative, and asked Mufti to go ahead with solemnizing the nikah. “But it was through media that I learnt that the nikah had been solemnized at a time when Bushra was still in ‘Iddat’,” he said, adding, “But I preferred to remain silent.”

Aun went on to say that in the very next month, in February, PTI chairman’s nikah was again solemnized with Bushra. “Then there were reports on media that both had contracted the marriage when the bride was going through the period of ‘Iddat’.

Aun says Imran asked him to hush up matter

But Imran, ex-PTI leader claimed, asked him and others who were close to him to keep their lips sealed since he planned to solemnize the nikah again in February after the completion of the period of iddat. “And at last, the nikah was again solemnized at Bani Gala, Islamabad in February 2018 at which I was also present. As a matter of fact, I and Zulfi were witnesses in that nikah,” Aun told the court.  

He informed the court that the recording of the function was also available.

He, in his statement, further said that the reason why Imran wanted to marry Bushra was because he believed that by doing so he would become the prime minister.

Aun claimed that the first time they deliberately contracted marriage was during ‘Iddat’. “Hence the first nikah was against the Islamic Shariah and was based on fraud,” he alleged.

Mufti Saeed, in his statement, said that Bushra Bibi had told him that Khawar Maneka had divorced her. “Even Bushra’s friends told me that she had been divorced in November 2017,” he said, and added, “I was told by Imran that Bushra had told him that if their nikah would be solemnized on January 1, 2018, he (the PTI chairman) would be appointed to a top position.”

In my opinion, he went on to say, the nikah that was solemnized on January 1 was against the Shariah as well as against the law for which they both had insisted despite knowing that it could not be sanctioned.

The court adjourned the case’s hearing until December 2.

 Reporter: Farzana Siddique