PM to meet triple talaq victim during Shahjahanpur rally

LUCKNOW: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will meet Nida Khan, who was given instant triple talaq and against whom a fatwa has been issued by a Bareilly cleric, during his rally in Shahjahanpur on Saturday.

Farhat Naqvi, sister of Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, will accompany Nida during the meeting. The duo was invited by BJP MLA from Bareilly Papu Bhartol aka Rajesh Kumar Mishra for the rally.

“The MLA told me that the Prime Minister will meet us in Shahjahanpur during the rally,” said Farhat Naqvi.

While Bhartol visited Naqvi at her residence to extend the invitation, he called Nida over phone for the same.

Nida, however, said: “I have been invited for the rally only over phone. I will surely go there if I receive a formal invitation.” Local BJP unit members said a formal invitation would be sent to her. BJP MLA Bhartol said: “I have invited both Nida Khan and Farhat Naqvi to the rally to assure them of our support in their fight against injustice. I will arrange for their transport and safety.”

Based in Bareilly, the two women have been vocal against the practice of halala and instant triple talaq. They also run separate NGOs to help those who have suffered from instant triple talaq and halala.

Nida (23), who was married into the family of Ahmed Raza Khan aka Ala Hazrat, was allegedly harassed by her in-laws and later given instant triple talaq.

She had lodged a police complaint against domestic violence and harassment in 2016, a decision on which is still pending in a local court.

Farhat Naqvi is also pursuing a case against her in-laws after being separated from her husband. The duo came into spotlight again this week when Barelvi clerics issued a fatwa against Nida. “Nida Khan has been ousted from Islam for questioning the practice of triple talaq and halala,” Md Khurshid Alam Razvi, imam of Jama Masjid mosque in Bareilly, had said during a press conference on July 16. Commenting on Farhat, Razvi went on to say that “Farhat Naqvi should not comment on the issue of halala and instant triple talaq because she is from the Shia community.”

The fatwa led to a furore and was criticized by senior clerics and politicians alike. Nida has refused to recognise the fatwa and decided to approach the Supreme Court against it. The SC has already termed the practice of instant triple talaq unconstitutional. Uttar Pradesh Minority Commission has also taken cognizance of the matter and sent a two-member team to look into it.