ISLAMABAD: A judicial magistrate court disposed of a plea against the “unlawful” nikah of former prime minister Imran Khan after the complainant withdrew his petition on Friday.

The petitioner, Moham­mad Hanif, sought legal action against Mr Khan for marrying Bushra Bibi allegedly during her Iddat, a specified period that must elapse before a Muslim widow or divorcee may legitimately remarry.

However, Mr Hanif has now withdrawn the complaint, citing technical reasons. His counsel has filed an application for an early hearing date.

The PTI chief married Bushra Bibi in February 2018 in a Lahore ceremony attended by only close relatives.

Mufti Saeed performed the nikah in the presence of PTI leaders Awn Chaudhary and Zulfi Bukhari, who appeared as witnesses.

However, Mr Chaudhry, who was a close aide to Mr Khan before parting ways, previously testified before the court that the PTI chief married on Jan 1, 2018.

Imran Khan has been married twice before. His first marriage was with Jemima Goldsmith, daughter of a British billionaire, in 1995. The couple divorced in 2004.

Mr Khan’s second marriage to Reham Khan dissolved 10 months after a public ceremony had taken place in January 2015.

Published in Dawn, November 25th, 2023