‘Illegal’ Nikkah case: Court writes letter to IHC registrar to conduct trial of IK, Bushra Bibi in jail

ISLAMABAD: A local court on Friday wrote a letter to the registrar of Islamabad High Court (IHC) for conducting a jail trial of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in illegal Nikkah case.

The civil judge, Qudratullah, while hearing the case, wrote a letter to the IHC registrar for holding a jail trial in the Nikkah case and approved Bushra Bibi’s plea seeking exemption from personal appearance before the court for one day.

PTI’s lawyer Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry and the complainant’s counsel Rizwan Abbass appeared before the court.

At the start of the hearing, Chaudhry told the court that Bushra Bibi would appear before the court today; therefore, let him know about the directions of the court whether she appears before it in the district court complex or Adiala jail.

To this, the judge said that the accused should appear before it in the district court complex today and the court took a short break till the appearance of Bushra Bibi.

Abbass told the judge to write a letter to the registrar of IHC to conduct a jail trial of the case. This court needs to inform the IHC registrar regarding the jail trial, he further said, adding that copies of the charge sheet and case are to be provided to the accused, and then after the passage of seven days’ charge will be framed against them.

Bushra Bibi’s counsel Usman Gull appeared before the court after the break and told the court that during the previous hearing the court ordered jail trial of the case due to which we have asked Bushra Bibi to go to Adiala jail for appearing beforeit.

The judge said that you have to call the accused to court. She must have come here after she came to know that the court was not conducting the trial in jail. This is the final direction she should come here, the judge said, adding that when the court informed the jail authorities then why did she go there?

The court ordered Bushra Bibi to appear in person before it and took another break. Usman Gull, Bushra Bibi’s lawyer filed an application before the court seeking an exemption for his client. He adopted the stance that during the previous hearing, the court had ordered a jail trial due to which she went to jail in the morning.

Later, the court announced that the accused counsel failed to contact her due to jammers in jail and granted an exemption to her from personal appearance before it for one day. The court adjourned the hearing of the case till January 2.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023