Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s marriage to Bushra Bibi did not adhere to Islamic Sharia law, according to Mufti Saeed, the cleric who conducted the nikah (wedding). The cleric stated at a hearing in Islamabad court on a petition filed by Muhammad Hanif that the nikah was not in conformity with Islamic Sharia law.
The cleric revealed that the wedding occurred during Bushra Bibi’s iddat period, which is a waiting period practised by Muslim women following the death of their spouse or divorce. Muslim women are not allowed to marry another man throughout this period since it is considered a grieving phase for women.
The iddat period varies based on circumstances, but generally, it is three lunar months or around 89 days. Bushra Bibi was in November 2017, and her marriage with Imran Khan took place on 1 January 2028, which means three lunar months were not completed after the divorce.
According to reports, the cleric stated that he was taken to the Defence Housing Authority Lahore in 2018 to perform the marriage and that he only conducted the ceremony when a lady who identified herself as Bushra Bibi’s sister gave him the go-ahead. Mufti Saeed said that the woman told him that all requirements for the marriage under the Shariah were complete. The event took place on January 1, 2018.
Khan’s friend Zulfi Bukhari and former party leader Awn Chaudhry were witnesses to the marriage solemnised by Mufti Saeed in Lahore.
While speaking before the court, Mufti Saeed informed that Imran Khan approached him in February 2018 and requested him to re-conduct their wedding because Khan believed that Sharia law had been violated the first time. By this time, the iddat period was over.
Mufti Saeed also told the court that both Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were aware of the situation, but Imran Khan believed that the marriage would help him become Prime Minister. Reportedly, there was a “prediction” that the PTI chairman will become the prime minister of Pakistan if he married Bushra Bibi.