ISLAMABAD: Imran Khan divorced his second wife Reham Khan on the instructions of Bushra Bibi, an ex-aide to the former prime minister said in his testimony before a judge on Thursday.

Senior Civil Judge Nasrum Minallah was hearing a petition seeking action against the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman for marrying his present wife reportedly during her Iddat period.

Iddat is a 130-day waiting period, or a period of abstinence, after the dissolution of a woman’s marriage during which she is supposed to remain unmarried.

Aun Chaudhry, who was once a confidant of the former prime minister and acted as a witness to his third Nikah in 2018, testified before the trial court that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi tied the knot before the end of the latter’s Iddat.

Earlier on April 12, Mufti Mohammad Saeed, who solemnised the Nikah, had made a similar testimony before the same court.

Aun Chaudhry, who is now an adviser to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, stated that he was very close to Mr Khan and looking after his political and personal affairs.

He said Mr Khan divorced his second wife in 2015 after Bushra Bibi asked him to part ways with Reham for “the sake of a better future”.

Aun Chaudhry said that Mr Khan acted upon her instruction and divorced Reham at a time when she was abroad and sent her the divorce deed through e-mail.

According to the statement, Mr Khan suffered mental stress after the divorce. One day, he asked Chaudhry to accompany him to Bushra Bibi’s home.

“He then asked me to make arrangements for the marriage on Jan 1, 2018. I was surprised to hear this since Bushra Bibi was already a married woman, but Mr Khan assured me that she has been divorced,” said the statement by Aun Chaudhry.

The witness further testified that he left for Lahore the next day with Mufti Saeed and Zulfi Bukhari, another witness to the Nikah.

Mr Chaudhry informed the court that when Mufti Saeed asked Imran Khan about the divorce, the latter said he would show the deed later.

It was later confirmed that Nikah was performed before the expiry of Iddat period: Feb 17 or 18, said Imran’s former adviser.

According to Aun Chaudhry, Mr Khan told him the reason for getting married to Bushra Bibi was that she had predicted “I will become the prime minister if I get married on the first day of 2018”.

The judge adjourned hearing till May 10 after recording Aun Chaudhry’s statement.

The court is likely to decide the maintainability of the case on the next date of hearing.

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2023