A court in Pakistan has recently handed down a seven-year prison sentence to the country’s former Prime Minister, Imran Khan, and his wife Bushra Bibi, for engaging in what was deemed an ‘un-Islamic nikah‘ (marriage). This judgment comes at a critical time, less than a week away from the general elections, adding further legal complications for Khan, who is 71 years old and the founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) party. This is Khan’s fourth conviction since his ouster in 2022, complicating his political comeback efforts for the upcoming February 8 elections.
The case was initiated by Bushra Bibi’s former husband, Khawar Maneka, who accused the couple of bypassing the Islamic tradition of observing a mandatory waiting period (Iddat) between marriages. Furthermore, Maneka charged them with adultery prior to their marriage, an offense that is severely punishable under Islamic law.
The sentencing was announced by Senior Civil Judge Qudratullah, following a 14-hour hearing held at the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi. Alongside their imprisonment, Khan and Bibi were each fined Rs 500,000. This adds to Khan’s legal woes, following his recent 10-year sentence in a cipher case and a 14-year sentence in a Toshakhana case, further exacerbating his predicament as he serves time in jail since his August 5 arrest last year.
Khan, addressing court reporters, criticized the case as an attempt to tarnish his and his wife’s reputations, marking it as unprecedented in its nature and its sentencing severity. During the trial, the court dismissed requests for additional witnesses and pleas for acquittal from Khan’s defense.
Bushra Bibi contested the authenticity of her divorce certificate from Maneka, claiming her iddat period was observed from April to August 2017, following a verbal divorce in April. She and Khan, who married on January 1, 2018, have faced significant scrutiny over their relationship, which began when Khan sought spiritual guidance from Bibi, leading to their eventual marriage.
This sentence marks Khan’s continued legal battles since his removal from office in 2022, with a string of convictions painting a challenging road ahead for the former premier and his wife.