Pakistani court sentences ex-PM Khan, wife to seven years over unlawful marriage

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani court on Saturday sentenced former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to seven years in prison each in a case related to their 2018 marriage which was declared unlawful.
The case was filed against the couple amid speculation that Khan’s wife had not completed “iddah,” a specified period mandated by Islam that a Muslim widow or divorcee must observe before remarrying another person.
Khan, who was ousted from power in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022, has been facing a slew of legal cases against him. He is currently in a high-security prison where he was sentenced to 10 years on charges of leaking official secrets and 14 years for illegally selling state gifts this week.
According to court documents, Khawar Farid Maneka, Bushra’s ex-husband, filed the case and managed to prove it against the respondents.
“Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi son of Ikram Ullah Khan Niazi and Mst. Bushra Khan, wife of Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi … are convicted under the provision of section 496 PPC and sentenced to simple imprisonment for a period of seven (07) years each,” said the written verdict.
“They shall also be liable to pay fine of Rs. 5,00,000/- (Five Lac Rupees) each,” it added.
Reacting to the development, Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party maintained the decision was issued “after hours of rushed hearings at court, [with] no cross examination of witnesses, and no due process” while describing the trial as “a mockery of law.”
“With the way these trials are being conducted, there will be a huge question mark on the February 8th elections,” it added. “This is a test case for Pakistan’s higher judiciary.”
Khan’s party has consistently challenged all cases against him as politically motivated, asserting they aim to sideline him from the nation’s political scene.
The former prime minister’s election nomination papers were already rejected in recent weeks, and he faces a 10-year disqualification from holding public office.