Mahira Khan, a successful actress from Pakistan who is known for starring in successful Pakistani movies like "7 Din Mohabbat In", "The Legend of Maula Jatt", "Bin Roye" as well as the famous TV serial "Humsafar." She made her Indian debut with the Shahrukh Khan starrer "Raees" which was a blockbuster hit in India. Due to her cute and beautiful features she soon gained a lot of popularity amongst the Indians as well.

On, the 1st of October this year, she married her long-time boyfriend Salim Karim, with whom she was engaged in a private ceremony in 2019. Salim Karim is a Pakistani businessman who owns a multinational company Simpaisa aka PublishEX Pvt. Ltd., a digital payment platform which allows money to be transferred through sim of the phone. His net worth is estimated to be USD 1 million as of 2023. Apart from being the CEO of Simpaisa, Mr. Karim is also a DJ.

In a video of her marriage posted by her manager, Anushay Khan and the photographer Izzah Shaheen Malik, she can be seen wearing a white lehenga (designed by Faraz Manan) and walking to her beau Salim Karim who is seen in a black sherwani with a blue pagdi(turban). As he sees her walk down the aisle, he sheds few tears of joy and is overwhelmed to see his bride. He then opens her white purdah and kisses her forehead. A heartwarming scene indeed.

Her 13-year-old son, Azlan whom she had in her previous marriage and her father are seen to be walking her down the aisle.

While everyone is happy with her second marriage, a discussion about her first marriage and the consequent divorce seemed to have sparked.

First marriage with her 'childhood sweetheart' Ali Askari : Love, marriage and divorce

Mahira Khan had previously been married to Ali Askari, a famous LA-based Pakistani Producer and Director. At 17, Mahira went to LA for Ali Askari but the two broke up then. She said in the FWhy podcast, "We were always supposed to go to LA since my uncles were already there, but at 17, I insisted that I go early since I was in love and he was there. But, after going there, mujhe meri naani yaad aa gayi." However, the two reconnected in 2005 and married each other in 2007. In 2009, she had Azlan, when she was 25.

However, things did not go smoothly for the couple, because they married at a young age the couple started having differences. She said that when two people get married at a young age they evolved differently, pointing towards the differences they had. She said that it was very painful the whole phase of unsuccessful marriage and the subsequent divorce in 2015. She said professionally, she was getting a lot of success, but personally things were very difficult for her. Especially letting go of her "childhood sweetheart."

In the divorce, she and her husband mutually decided to let the custody of her child, Azlan. She has opened up only recently about her divorce. She said that she is still in cordial relations with her ex-husband and in-laws. Ali Askari and his family as well as Mahira's family have cordial relations and all have accepted to co-parent Azlan together.

Although much of the details of her divorce like the actual reason, alimony etc. are unknown even today, she seems to have a friendly bond with Ali.

Prime Legal wholeheartedly wishes Mahira Khan a happy married life. We also look forward to her upcoming movie " Jo bachay hai sang samait lo."

Is her second marriage valid?
Pakistan being an Islamic State, follows Islamic rules stringently. Mahira Khan being a citizen of Pakistan is bound by the laws of their nation. While her husband, Salim Karim, is also a Pakistani and the ceremony happened in a city in Pakistan, the laws of Pakistan become indispensable to analyse their case.

Proper divorce:
The Islamic law provides that the wife cannot marry without undergoing a proper divorce. Her previous divorce had been peacefully and legally settled. So, this issue does not arise here.

Observance of Iddat period:
The Muslim law provides that a divorced woman can remarry after observing iddat period for 3 lunar months. In her case, she remarried after a period of 8 years and thus, this condition is fulfilled.

Property Rights:
Since she has remarried again, she is not entitled to maintenance or inheritance from her ex-husband's property. Her son, on the other hand, is still entitled to a portion of his father's property.

Therefore, we see here that her second marriage is completely valid.

We could have discussed more about the legality of the divorce, but the actress has not spoken a lot about it. The intricate details of her divorce are still unknown.

REFERENCES:

• https://www.ndtv.com/entertainment/pakistani-actress-mahira-khan-marries-businessman-salim-karim-in-an-intimate-ceremony-video-inside-4441944
• https://www.businesstoday.in/latest/trends/story/watch-pakistani-actress-mahira-khan-marries-businessman-salim-karim-in-a-dreamy-wedding-400375-2023-10-02
• https://www.siasat.com/mahira-khan-gets-married-for-second-time-heres-first-video-2710425
• https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/mahira-khan-recalls-divorce-from-childhood-sweetheart-ali-taking-refuge-in-work-it-was-painful-8914309
• https://www.filmibeat.com/bollywood/flashback/2023/mahira-khan-second-wedding-srk-raees-heroine-first-husband-ali-askari-divorce-reason-salim-karim-368133.html
• https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news/amidst-reports-of-second-marriage-in-september-2023-pakistani-actress-mahira-khan-opens-up-on-her-divorce-with-first-husband-it-was-painful/articleshow/103177260.cms?from=mdr