Court reserves verdict on Imran, Bushra Bibi's appeal over suspension of sentences in iddat case

ISLAMABAD: Additional district and sessions court Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka reserved the verdict on petitions requesting suspension of sentences to jailed former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the 'un-Islamic' iddat case, ARY News reported. Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were sentenced to seven years in prison each on February 3 by a trial court for contracting their marriage during iddat, a mandatory period for a woman in Islam to wait before a second marriage after the death of her husband or divorce.

Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi's counsel Salman Safdar, and Khawar Maneka's lawyer Zahid Asif Chaudhry appeared before the court during the hearing on Tuesday, as per ARY News. The verdict will be announced on June 27 (Thursday) at 3 pm. Meanwhile, the hearing on the couple's pleas seeking annulment of their conviction in the said case has been adjourned till July 2.

Earlier this month, The Islamabad High Court (IHC) had ordered the session court to announce the verdict on Bushra Bibi's plea seeking suspension of conviction in the Nikah case within 10 days. According to ARY News, Bushra Bibi, the spouse of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has filed a petition with the Islamabad High Court (IHC), challenging the recent conviction in the Nikah case, in which the couple was sentenced to seven years of imprisonment and a fine of Pakistani currency (PKR) 500,000 each.

The case pertains to the couple's marriage ceremony, which took place in February 2018 in Lahore, with only close family members and friends in attendance, notably Imran Khan's sisters were not present.

The Nikah ceremony was performed by Mufti Saeed, with former PTI leader Awn Chaudhary and former Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) Zulfi Bukhari serving as witnesses.

Last year, Khawar Maneka, Bibi's former husband, who had approached the court -- had claimed that the marriage was illegal and against the laws of Sharia. Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were originally accused of marrying within the three-month "iddat period" that follows a divorce. Additionally, Maneka has accused them of fornication.