Former PM Imran Khan and Wife Acquitted of Unlawful Marriage Charges

Former PM Imran Khan and Wife Acquitted of Unlawful Marriage Charges/AP

Dil Bar Irshad | July 13, 2024 | 04:48 PM IST | Breaking News, Pakistan News | Follow on Google News

Former PM Imran Khan and Wife Acquitted of Unlawful Marriage Charges

Former PM Imran Khan and Wife Acquitted of Unlawful Marriage Charges

Key Highlights:

1. Imran Khan and his wife acquitted on charges of unlawful marriage.
2. Islamabad court dismissed charges against the couple.
3. Khan remains in detention over unrelated charges of inciting riots.

A court in Pakistan has acquitted former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, on charges of unlawful marriage, as announced by his party and lawyer. Khan, 71, and Bushra Bibi were previously sentenced to seven years just before Pakistan’s February elections.

The charges stemmed from allegations that the couple violated Islamic law by not observing the required interval between Bushra Bibi’s divorce from a previous marriage and her subsequent marriage to Khan. However, on Saturday, Islamabad Additional District and Sessions Court judge Afzal Majoka declared that the “appeals of both Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi are accepted,” effectively dismissing the charges.

A spokesperson for Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party confirmed the dismissal of charges, and Khan’s lawyer, Naeem Panjutha, posted on social media platform X, celebrating the couple’s acquittal.

Despite this legal victory, Khan remains in detention following the cancellation of his bail over accusations that he incited riots by his supporters in May 2023. Earlier this month, a UN panel of experts found Khan’s detention to be baseless, suggesting it was intended to disqualify him from political office. The panel called for his immediate release, describing the prosecution as politically motivated.

In the national election, candidates loyal to Khan won the most seats, yet were kept from forming a government due to an alliance of military-backed rival parties.

Dil Bar Irshad

Dil Bar Irshad is a seasoned journalist, hails from Jammu Kashmir's Doda, covers political, social, business stories, index stories.