ISLAMABAD: A local court, on Tuesday, recorded the statements of four prosecution witnesses in the case regarding the ‘illegal’ nikkah of former premier Imran Khan with his wife Bushra Bibi, and also sought arguments on the maintainability of the case on December 8.

The civil judge, Qudratullah, while hearing the case recorded the statement of Bushra Bibi’s former husband Khawar Maneka’s domestic servant Muhammad Latif. Latif appeared as a witness before the court accompanied by the petitioner’s counsel, Rizwan Abbasi.

The witness, Latif, while recording his statement, said that Khan used to visit Bushra Bibi in her house before their marriage in the absence of Khawar Maneka. Both Khan and Bushra Bibi did not used to sit in the drawing room rather Khan and Bushra Bibi used to sit in the Bushra Bibi’s room.

He said that the former premier had started visiting Maneka’s house located in Bani Gala in 2015. Khan rarely visited Maneka’s house in 2015 but he increased his visits in 2016 and 2017, Latif said.

He further said that whenever he used to enter Bushra Bibi’s room to give her a phone, Khan would start abusing him and would ask him to get out.

Latif claimed that he had seen both Khan and Bushra three to four times indulging in “immoral activities”.

Latif said that he used to go to Bushra Bibi’s room following the direction of Khawar Maneka. Khawar Maneka divorced Bushra Bibi at the end of 2017, he said.

Were you always sitting in the room along with the former premier and Bushra Bibi, the judge asked the witness?

The witness replied in the negative.

The court, after recording the statement of the witness, adjourned till December 8 and sought arguments regarding whether the case is admissible or not.

Earlier, Khawar Maneka, the ex-husband of Bushra Bibi, Mufti Muhammad Saeed, and Imran Khan’s former aide Awn Chaudhry had recorded their statements as witnesses.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023