In a contentious turn of events, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawyers on Wednesday attacked Khawar Maneka, the ex-husband of former first lady Bushra Bibi, within the premises of a district and sessions court in Islamabad where he appeared for a hearing of the un-Islamic nikah case.
During the hearing of appeals filed by Bushra Bibi, her husband, and PTI founder Imran Khan against their conviction in the iddat case, Judge Shahrukh Arjumand retreated to his chamber without announcing the verdict.
Following this, PTI lawyers began throwing bottles in the courtroom, prompting Maneka’s lawyers to escort him out. However, while being escorted, a PTI lawyer attacked Maneka, causing him to fall to the ground within the court premises.
The court had reserved the verdict on the appeals on May 23, which was to be announced today.
In January, Maneka had moved the court challenging Khan and Bushra Bibi’s marriage, claiming their nikah was fraudulent as it took place during her iddat period (the time a woman remains in isolation after divorce or her husband’s death).
In February, the trial court handed a seven-year sentence to the couple and imposed a fine of Rs500,000 each.
In its 51-page detailed verdict, the court stated that the evidence confirmed that both Khan and Bushra were in a relationship before their “fraudulent” nikah in 2018.
