Islamabad: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday transferred Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi’s iddat case to another court.
District and Sessions Judge Shahrukh Arjumand had requested the IHC to transfer the case to another court after the Bushra’s former husband and petitioner Khawar Maneka raised the reservations over the judge.
“It will not be appropriate for him to announce the verdict in the aforementioned case due to reservations raised by Maneka,” judge Arjumand wrote to the IHC registrar.
Last week, judge Arjumand did not announce its already reserved verdict in the iddat case.
During the last hearing, Maneka appeared before the court along with his counsel Rizwan Abbasi.
The judge observed that prosecutor Abbasi was yet to present arguments on two points, following which he stepped onto the dais. However, Maneka requested the court for some time to present his arguments. At this, the judge asked him to let his counsel speak first. “My lawyer will not be able to explain my suffering. I will speak myself,” replied Maneka.
At this point, Bushra Bibi’s counsel Usman Gill urged the court to issue contempt notices to Maneka for interrupting court proceedings.
Maneka asked for 10 minutes of speaking time, saying he belonged to a village and that rumors were being spread about him and his daughter's divorce every day. “Fake divorce letters are being made and spread on social media,” the complainant maintained.
Maneka’s interruption irked the PTI counsels who got into a heated argument with the former. Judge Arjumand then intervened asking the lawyers if they wanted to create scene.