Khan sentenced to 7 more years of prison for 'illegal marriage'
3 Min Read
This is the third verdict this week to attack the former Pakistani Prime Minister's reputation.
-
Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan listens to a member of the media during a talk with reporters regarding the current political situation and the ongoing cases against him at his residence in Lahore, Pakistan, on August 3, 2023. (AP)
Today, a Pakistani court ruled that Former Prime Minister Imran Khan's marriage to his wife was illegal under Islamic law, and sentenced them both to seven years in jail each, his party revealed.
After the Former PM was given a prison sentence of 10 years for leaking state secrets and another one for 14 years due to graft alongside his wife Bushra Bibi, this is the third verdict in a week to attack his reputation.
Regardless, Khan is persistent in denying the actuality of nearly 200 offenses and alleges that they have been made up by the military-led establishment as a way to disrupt his partake in elections on February 8, keeping in mind that he was ousted from office by a vote of no confidence back in April 2022.
The court's ruling is based on the "iddat" in Islamic law, which states that to avoid any doubt regarding paternity in a pregnancy, a widowed or divorced woman should wait three months before remarrying. Khan was accused of marrying his third wife before her iddat from her previous marriage was completed.
Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party stated, "A court has declared the marriage of former prime minister Imran Khan & Busra Bibi illegal with 7 years imprisonment each."
His lawyer, Gohar Ali Khan said, "This shameful case is illogical. All of this is happening for political goals," stressing that this conviction and its jail terms would be challenged in court.
Speaking with AFP, another lawyer not involved in Khan's case, Sabahat Rizvi, stated "The charges of corruption and now these ones are an attempt to raise moral questions on his character," adding "They are targeting him because they could not diminish his aura."
Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi: 14-year sentence in Toshakhana case
On January 31, Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were sentenced to 14 years in jail in the Toshakhana case. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed a new reference against them, accusing them of "retaining a jewelry set received from the Saudi crown prince at an undervalued assessment."
The verdict, delivered just eight days before the February 8 general elections, added to the challenges facing the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party amid a state crackdown and the absence of an electoral symbol. This comes just one day following another sentencing of Imran Khan and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi to 10 years in prison for allegedly "disclosing state secrets".
Accountability Judge Mohammad Bashir presided over the hearing at Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail, where former Prime Minister Imran Khan is currently held. During the hearing, Imran and Bushra were both sentenced to 14 years in jail, fined Rs787 million, and banned from holding any public office for 10 years. While Imran Khan was present, his wife did not appear in court.
