Pakistani court rejects Imran Khan and his wife’s appeal for parole in illegal marriage case

A Pakistani court on Thursday rejected Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi’s appeal for parole in their illegal marriage case, a major setback for the former prime minister who has been in prison since August last year.

On February 3, Khan, 71, and Bushra, 49, were sentenced by a court to seven years in prison each and a fine of Rs 500,000 for getting married during Iddat, a period of waiting prescribed in Islam for a woman before she can enter into a second marriage after the death of her husband or divorce.

Bushra’s ex-husband Khawar Maneka had filed a case against the couple in November 2023, claiming that they got married without Bushra observing the mandatory waiting period (Iddat). He asked the court to declare the marriage null and void.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Afzal Majoka had deferred his judgment to conclude the case after the hearing on Tuesday.

When he delivered the verdict before a packed court on Thursday and dismissed the couple’s pleas, he dashed hopes of their release from Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, where they were being held.

While there are several cases pending against Khan, there are several cases pending against his wife Bushra.

Reacting to the verdict, opposition leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub said Khan’s party would challenge the ruling in the Supreme Court in Islamabad.

In an interview with the media, he reiterated that there would be no talks with the government until all politicians and workers of the Pakistan Movement for Justice (PTI) were released.

Khan’s party described the development as “absolutely ridiculous”.

A post on PTI’s official X-account said the case was “despicable beyond compare both in the history of our country and in the entire Islamic history” and was “condemned worldwide and has brought enormous shame to Pakistan”.

“Every single person responsible for inventing and carrying out this case will perish in the dirtiest and darkest alleys of history,” it said.

Earlier, the former First Couple had challenged the conviction before District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Shahrukh Arjumand, who, however, recuse himself from the charge at a time when the hearing had already ended and the court was about to announce the verdict.

The case was transferred to ADSJ Majoka last week and the Islamabad High Court ordered the court to decide within 10 days.

The couple had married in 2018, the year Khan won the election and became prime minister. Bushra was reportedly his spiritual guide, but the two developed affection for each other during their meetings. She divorced her husband, whom she was married to for 28 years and had five children with.

She is the third wife of Khan, a former cricket hero who was considered a playboy during his heyday.