Daily Dawn Court Reporter + Dawn TV
Islamabad: The District and Sessions Court Islamabad has acquitted former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the Iddat Nikah case.
In February this year, Senior Civil Judge Qudratullah sentenced Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi to 7 years in prison and a fine of 5.5 lakh rupees, declaring the marriage illegal in the Iddat case.
On Saturday, the court reserved the decision after the hearing on the appeals against the decision of Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi was completed.
Judge Afzal Majuka of the District and Sessions Court has said in the decision that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi should be released if they are not arrested in any other case, while the court has issued warrants for their release.
In the appeal against the verdict, PTI had taken the position that the petition filed by Khawar Manika did not meet the legal requirements and the petition had wrongly referred to Section 496/496 of the Penal Code, so the court should declare the verdict null and void. .
It should be noted that on November 25, 2023, Bushra Bibi’s ex-husband Khawar Manika filed an application in the local court of Islamabad in which he alleged that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi got married during Eid.
On February 3, 2024, Senior Civil Judge Qudratullah sentenced Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi to 7 years in prison and a fine of Rs 5.5 lakh. Later on February 23, appeals were filed against the conviction of founder PTI and Bushra Bibi.
On 23 May 2024, Sessions Judge Shah Rukh Arjamand reserved judgment on the appeals against the sentence. Khawar Manika had expressed no confidence in the court after which Sessions Judge Shahrukh Arjamand had written a letter to the Islamabad High Court to transfer the appeals to another court instead of pronouncing the verdict.
The Islamabad High Court had transferred the appeals to Additional Sessions Judge Afzal Majuka. Additional Sessions Judge Afzal Majuka had on June 27 upheld the verdict by rejecting the pleas of suspension of sentence in the Iddat Nikah case of Founder PTI and Bushra Bibi.
