Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Saturday overturned the 2018 convictions of former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi for violating the country’s marriage law, according to Khan’s lawyer Naeem Pantuja, who celebrated on social media.
Khan and his wife Sentenced Khan’s wife was sentenced to seven years in prison for violating the law by marrying before the stipulated three-month ‘iddah period had elapsed after her previous divorce.The couple had previously tried to appeal their convictions but were unsuccessful.
At the February trial, prosecutors argued that Khan and his wife had violated Islamic law, which requires a woman to wait three months before remarrying. This is known as the “Iddah” period and is a requirement of Pakistan’s Islamic family law. The former first spouse had been previously married, and her ex-husband, Kawal Maneka, claims he divorced her in November 2017, three months before Bibi married Khan in January 2018. But she says they divorced in August 2017.
Both Khan and Bibi have denied breaking the law and said the charges were “baseless” and “politically motivated” ahead of Pakistan’s parliamentary elections on February 8. Khan has already been disqualified from standing in elections as a result of his conviction.
The illegal marriage case is not the former prime minister’s only recent legal battle: Khan is reportedly involved in more than 150 cases and faces a range of charges, including one of inciting violence during the nationwide unrest that followed his resignation as prime minister. Arrest He is due to be indicted on further corruption charges in May 2023.
In August 2023, Khan was convicted and sentenced to 14 years in prison. Toshakhana In the corruption case, Khan is accused of selling state gifts. Additionally, Khan was convicted in January and sentenced to 10 years in prison in the “Cypher” case, in which Khan had accused the US of trying to get rid of him based on top-secret diplomatic cables. Khan then leaked details in violation of the secrecy law, leading to his conviction.
International NGOs and other groups have expressed concern about the use of “loafers” against Khan and other political opponents in Pakistan. In July, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention recommended Khan’s release, but the Pakistani government rejected the recommendation.
