In a legal twist that has thrust the private lives of prominent figures into the public eye, Khawar Farid Maneka has filed a complaint against Imran Khan, 71 the former Prime Minister of Pakistan,, and his third wife, Bushra Bibi, 49. The complaint, lodged in the court of Islamabad East Senior Civil Judge Qudratullah, alleges a series of transgressions, including accusations of fornication and a fraudulent marriage.
The intricacies of the complaint delve into legal nuances, citing Sections 34 (common intention), 496 (marriage ceremony fraudulently gone through without lawful marriage), and 496-B (fornication) of the Pakistan Penal Code. Maneka, the ex-husband of Imran Khan’s current wife, brings forth a narrative that intertwines personal relationships with legal ramifications.
Within the legal arena, Khawar Maneka, recently granted bail in an unrelated corruption case, has invoked Section 200 (examination of complainant) of the Code of Criminal Procedure. In doing so, he has presented a statement that attributes the breakdown of his marriage to Imran Khan, further intensifying the legal saga.
As the legal proceedings unfold, the court has issued notices to three key witnesses in the case—Awn Chaudhry from the Istekham-i-Pakistan Party, Mufti Muhammad Saeed who officiated the nikah (marriage ceremony), and Maneka’s house employee Latif. These witnesses are instructed to appear before the court on November 28, adding a layer of anticipation to the unfolding drama.
Earlier in the week, Khawar Maneka publicly accused Imran Khan of interfering with his married life before eventually marrying Bushra Bibi. The allegations, delivered through interviews, drew criticism from leaders within Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, questioning the moral grounds and necessity of such public revelations. Simultaneously, political adversaries from the PML-N camp seized on the accusations to criticize the former premier.
In his official complaint, Khawar Maneka urges the court to summon and punish Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi “strictly in accordance with law in the interest of justice.” The narrative presented to the court emphasizes Imran Khan’s frequent visits to Maneka’s house, purportedly for spiritual healing, during his absence. Maneka deems these visits as both undesirable and unethical. Moreover, he alleges that Imran Khan maintained late-night contact with Bushra Bibi, providing her with separate contact numbers and mobile phones for communication.
The timeline of events is critical in Maneka’s narrative, with the divorce from Bushra Bibi dated November 14, 2017, and the alleged “heinous offence of fornication” committed by Imran and Bushra staged in the form of a marriage ceremony on January 1, 2018.
