Daily Times

RAWALPINDI: The civil court of Rawalpindi will announce its reserved verdict tomorrow (Tuesday) in the second marriage prosecution petition filed by a former wife of a journalist against him pertaining to contract second marriage without her permission and Arbitration Council under Muslim Family Laws 6.

An Islamabad based journalist has been attending court hearings since one year in the civil and district courts, charged under section six of Muslim Family Laws as a “fake” petition was filed by Sajida Bibi, claiming that her husband contracted second marriage. The reason behind their dispute and separation was that Sajida Bibi was unhappy with the salary he was earning.

The journalist sent many friends and relatives to his parents-in-law house for reconciliation but her family refused and did not accept any negotiation other than divorce.

After failing to reconcile with his wife, the journalist finally divorced Sajida and sent the papers to her parent’s house on June 1, 2017. He contracted second marriage on July 9, 2017.

Sajida and her brother filed a prosecution petition to family court Judge Javed Virk under section six of Muslim Family Law in November last year in which they told the court that the accused journalist is still her husband and he contracted second marriage without her permission therefore he should be punished.

The judge after hearing arguments from both sides and taking a look at the evidences, shifted the case to civil judge Shoaib Tariq. The journalist believes that judge Shoaib Tariq was biased and did not give him a chance to testify.

After hearing arguments by petitioner’s lawyer Khaliq Bhatti, Shoaib Tariq on Saturday reserved the verdict until tomorrow (Tuesday).

The journalist now fears that the judgment will not be made in his favour. He has requested the Chief Justice of Pakistan and parliamentarians to reform the system according to Islamic law.

Published in Daily Times, November 19^th 2018.