Pakistani court acquits former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife in illegal marriage case

A court in Pakistan has acquitted former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife of illegal marriage, according to his political party and lawyer.

Khan and his wife Bushra Khan, also known as Bushra Bibi, were sentenced to seven years in prison just days before Pakistan's February election when a court ruled their marriage in 2018 violates Islamic law.

A court in Pakistan has acquitted former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife of illegal marriage, according to his political party and lawyer.

Khan and his wife Bushra Khan, also known as Bushra Bibi, were sentenced to seven years in prison just days before Pakistan's February election when a court ruled their marriage in 2018 violates Islamic law. In June, the court denied their request to postpone the February ruling.

But on Saturday, an Islamabad court said "The appeals of Imran Khan and Bushira Bibi have been allowed".

Zulfi Bukhari, a senior official in Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, told Media that the charges had been "dropped", while Khan's lawyer, Naeem Panjutha Posted in X, said the two were "released without charge."

Khan remains in prison, and this week a court revoked his bail on charges of inciting his supporters to incite riots in May 2023.

Lawyer Intazar Hussain Panjutha told Media that Khan will not be released "even if he is released today (Saturday)". A terrorism court in Lahore this week approved Khan's arrest in connection with last year's riots, his party's legal team said.

On Tuesday, the court refused to grant him bail, even though he is currently in jail, as investigations continue into his alleged role in the riots.

Buhari told Media that "at this point, there is no case that Khan will remain in prison".

Bibi's ex-husband, Khawar Maneka, filed a civil suit last year, claiming that his estranged wife had not completed the three-month period required by Islamic law. when she married Khan. Maneka agreed to divorce his wife in November 2017. Khan announced his marriage to Bibi in February 2018, months before he became prime minister.

Regarding Bibi, Buhari said, "This illegal marriage case is the only case where he was sent to prison and because of this release, he should be released today, not tomorrow."

Earlier this month, a UN panel of experts said Khan's detention was "unconstitutional and appears to be designed to disqualify him from running for political office."

"Therefore, from the beginning, the prosecution has no constitutional purpose and is said to be political," he said, calling for his immediate release after almost a year in the prison.

Candidates loyal to Khan won the majority of seats in the election but were pushed out of the government by a coalition of rival parties backed by the military. The PTI scored a major legal victory on Friday when the Supreme Court said the party can retain multiple seats in the national and provincial assemblies, a major setback for the coalition government.

Khan served as prime minister from 2018 to 2022, when he was ousted in a no-confidence vote in a dispute with the military, which had a large influence on public politics.

Among the opposition, he launched a rebellion against the senior generals and accused them of trying to kill him and wounding him.

But the former cricket star's comeback has been marred by a series of legal cases, which investigators say were brought at the behest of the military.

Khan was first arrested in May 2023, sparking a nationwide uproar by PTI supporters, some of whom targeted military installations. The government and the military see the attacks as a justification for a crackdown on the PTI, which has seen its top leaders hit by arrests and deportations.
survived the disaster

PTI candidates were forced to stand independently in the February 8 elections, which were postponed several times due to political turmoil.

Khan was arrested and charged with corruption in August 2023 (a charge he denies), which meant he was barred from holding public office and placed under house arrest. prisoner in Adiala prison, south of the capital, Islamabad.

Despite this, candidates loyal to PTI won more seats than other parties. They were blocked from power by a coalition of groups considered more vulnerable to military influence.