Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and wife Bushra Bibi have been sentenced to 7 years in prison after a district court ruled their 2018 marriage as ‘un-Islamic’.
This adds as the third sentence for Imran and his second wife this week.
In an order issued by the court states that both the accused are guilty, “a marriage ceremony fraudulently gone through without lawful marriage”, court said.
Khawar Farid Maneka Bibi’s previous husband had filed a case against Imran and Bibi after six years of their divorce, accusing them of marrying without completing the process of Iddat.
He also accused Imran khan and Bibi of being in an adulterous relation, before being married formally.
What is Iddat?
It is a compulsory waiting period in Islam after divorce followed by committing adultery.
Reacting to the conviction khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) called it a “mockery of the law”.
Syed Zulfiqar Bukhari, PTI spokesperson said that he was a witness to the Imran and Bushra’s weeding ceremony in 2018 and called the judgement “a victory for Imran Khan”.
Imran has been sentenced with Former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, to a prison sentence of 10 years for leaking state secrets and 14 years in Toshakhana case.
Arrested on fifth august 2023, khan is imprisoned since, first in Attock jail and later in Adiala jail.
Referring to the Iddat case khan has told the court that this is a constructed case to humiliate and defame him and his wife Bushra.
“This marks the first instance in history where a case related to Iddat has been initiated,” Imran khan said.
What happened in the court room?
Cross-examination of 4 witnesses was completed on Friday along with joint statements submitted by Imran and Bibi which answered a total of 13 questions.
The request made by the defence to produce an additional witness was rejected by the court, also the acquittal and jurisdictional pleas were also rejected.
“So far, cross-examination of the statements given by the four witnesses in the case has been completed. The statements of Imran Khan and Bushra under section 342 have also been recorded (before the verdict was pronounced),” Geo News reported.
Divorce certificate of November 2017 was declared fabricated by Bibi, she clamed that she has complied to the Iddat process from April to August 2017 after a verbal triple talaq received from her then husband Maneka.
The love angle between khan and Bushra
January 1, 2018 khan and Bibi got married, even before that it is reported that Bibi exercised a lot of influence on Imran during his days of power.
It was seen that the cricketer turned politician used to visit a supposedly faith healer for providing him with spiritual peace and solace during his days of stress, later they both develop feelings of affection towards each other.
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