Court upholds Imran, wife’s jail terms in illegal-marriage case

Islamabad: A district and sessions court in Islamabad rejected jailed former PM Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi’s appeal seeking suspension of their sentences in a case involving violation of Islamic law governing marriage.
On Feb 3, five days ahead of the general elections that Imran’s PTI lost, a trial court ruled that the cricketer-turned-politician’s marriage to Bushra Bibi –his third wife – was solemnised without adhering to the stipulated iddat period. The couple was sentenced to seven years in jail. The petition was filed by Bushra Bibi’s ex-husband, Khawar Fareed Maneka, alleging that his estranged wife did not wait three months, as required under Islamic law after divorce or a spouse’s death, before marrying again. Maneka said he divorced his wife in Nov 2017. Imran announced his marriage to Bushra Bibi in Feb 2018, months before he became PM.
In response to the verdict, PTI functionaries and workers protested outside Adiala jail, where a court had been set up for Imran’s trial. MP Omar Ayub Khan said the party would appeal the decision in a higher court. Imran has been battling a slew of charges ranging from corruption to terrorism. He was acquitted earlier this month in cipher case, and got bail in another. Imran remains in jail due to his conviction and sentencing in the iddat case.