A trial court has sentenced Imran Khan, the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and his wife, Bushra Bibi, to seven years in prison each in the case regarding their “un-Islamic” marriage. Additionally, a fine of Rs500,000 has been imposed on both individuals.
Senior civil judge Qudratullah delivered the judgment today, following a comprehensive hearing within the jail’s confines over 14 hours the previous day. The court’s decision was reserved yesterday after the completion of arguments.
This verdict addresses the complaint that Khawar Maneka, Bushra Bibi’s ex-husband, challenged the legitimacy of her marriage and Islamic standing with the former prime minister.
Throughout the trial, testimonies from four witnesses were scrutinized, and the statements of both Khan and Bushra were recorded under section 342.
Bushra Bibi, temporarily held at Banigala and designated as a sub-jail, was transported to Adiala for the final hearing. The judgment was pronounced in the presence of Khan, Bushra Bibi, and their legal representation.
The complainant’s attorney, Raja Rizwan Abbasi, presented final arguments in the case the day before the verdict alongside Khan’s counsel, Salman Akram Raja, and Bushra Bibi’s representative, Usman Gul.
The petition filed by Maneka criticized the marriage as “fraudulent,” arguing it was conducted during Bushra’s iddat period following her divorce from him, thus violating Islamic laws regarding the waiting period before remarriage.
Maneka’s petition further accused Khan of disrupting his life and besmirching his family’s reputation for personal gain, calling for stringent legal action against both Khan and Bushra Bibi in pursuit of justice.
