Court acquits Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi in Iddat case, orders release

An Islamabad district and sessions court accepted on Saturday appeals filed by former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi against their conviction in the Iddat case.

An Islamabad court had sentenced the couple to seven years in jail and imposed Rs500,000 fine each.

Additional district and sessions judge Afzal Majoka announced the reserved judgment today.

The judge said, “If they are not wanted in any other case, then PTI founder Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi should be released [from jail] immediately.”

During the hearing on Friday, Zahid Asif Chaudhry, lawyer of Khawar Maneka, the complainant and former husband of Bushra Bibi while arguing before Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka, said that Maneka came to know about the matter after a citizen Muhammad Hanif filed a complaint against Imran and his wife.

Maneka wrote in his complaint that when he came to know that solemnising Nikkah during Iddat is a crime then he filed the complaint, he said.

On June 27, a district and sessions court rejected the couple’s petition seeking suspension of the sentence handed down to them.

In February, an Islamabad court sentenced the couple to seven years in jail and imposed Rs500,000 fine each.

It announced the verdict while hearing Bushra’s ex-husband Khawar Farid Maneka’s plea seeking legal action against Imran for marrying his wife Bushra allegedly without completion of the latter’s mandatory Iddat period.

Separately, the Islamabad High Court had ordered the sessions court to decide in 10 days on pleas by the PTI founder and his wife.

Following the announcement of the verdict, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan said that the case was filed to force Imran to compromise.

“Today’s win is Pakistan’s win and a win for the independence of the judiciary,” he said, adding that the world has now seen that this was merely a case made for political purposes.

Reacting to the development, Senator Faisal Vawda said the Iddat case was flawed. However, he added that Imran Khan is unlikely to get out of jail even after his acquittal in the case.

“He has to go through more processes and legal hurdles before he becomes a free man,” he said.