Imran Khan And Bushra Bibi Sentenced Seven Years Jail In Nikkah Case

In the case related to the ‘un-Islamic’ marriage, former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were each sentenced to seven years in prison on Saturday. Additionally, a fine of Rs0.5 million was imposed on both individuals. This marks the third consecutive sentencing for the PTI leader in the last five days, following his 10-year imprisonment in the cypher case and a 14-year sentence in the Toshakhana case.

The verdict in the ‘un-Islamic’ marriage case was reserved after a lengthy 14-hour hearing concluded on Friday night within the premises of Adiala jail in Rawalpindi, presided over by Islamabad’s Senior Civil Judge Qudratullah.

Read more: Verdict On Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi’s Nikkah To Be Announced Today

The case, initiated by Bushra Bibi’s first husband, Khawar Maneka, alleges that Bushra violated the Islamic practice of observing the mandatory pause, or Iddat, between two marriages. Furthermore, Maneka accused his ex-wife and Khan of having an adulterous relationship before their marriage.

Earlier in the week, the cross-examination of the four prosecution witnesses, including Maneka, Aun Chaudhry, Nikah Khawan Mufti Saeed, and Maneka’s employee Latif, was completed. The defence was led by Advocate Salman Akram Raja for Imran and Advocate Osman Riaz Gul for Bushra.

Khan and Bushra submitted a joint statement of 342, answering 13 questions. In her statement, Bushra declared the divorce certificate of November 14, 2017, as fabricated, claiming she completed her mandatory iddat period from April to August 2017 after receiving a verbal triple talaq from Maneka in April 2017.

The court rejected the defence’s request to produce additional witnesses, and pleas of acquittal under Section 249-A and jurisdictional pleas under Section 179 were also rejected.

After the verdict, PTI chairman Barrister Gauhar Khan addressed the media, deeming the trial shameful considering the private nature of the allegations. He sarcastically commented that the verdict was as expected and mentioned the party’s intention to approach the high court against the judgment. Gauhar maintained that recent verdicts against Imran would not hold up in front of tribunals, criticizing the judiciary for what he perceived as its use for political purposes.

In the preceding cypher case on January 30, Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi were sentenced to 10 years in imprisonment. Subsequently, on January 31, an accountability court judge found Imran and Bushra guilty in the Toshakhana case, sentencing them to 14 years in prison.

These legal developments mark a challenging period for the former Prime Minister, who faces multiple sentences in different cases within a short span. The political landscape in Pakistan is likely to be affected by these legal proceedings, adding another layer of complexity to the country’s political dynamics.