A senior civil judge has pronounced the verdict in the illegal nikah case involving Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi.
Senior Civil Judge Qudratullah sentenced Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi to seven-year imprisonment each. Their nikah, said to have taken place during her iddat after divorce from former husband Khawar Maneka, has also been declared against Shariah. Both accused have also been fined Rs500,000 each.
The decision was announced in Adiala Jail, where Imran Khan is already serving a sentence in both Toshakhana and cipher cases.
Senior Civil Judge Qudratullah issued a 50-page judgment in the case. The defendants were found guilty under Section 496 of the PPC.
In case of non-payment of fine, the accused will have to spend an extra four months in jail.
The decision was pronounced in the open court in the presence of the accused, who were also provided copies of the decision.
On the order of the court, the copies of the decision were provided to the accused.
The judge had on Friday presided over the case of an illegal nikah during iddat proceedings in Adiala Jail and reserved his verdict. The previous proceedings in the jail saw the completion of witness cross-examinations by the lawyers and the final arguments presented by both legal teams.
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Key witnesses, including Bushra Bibi's former husband Khawar Maneka, Mufti Saeed, Imran Khan's former associate Aun Chaudhry, and Muhammad Latif, underwent cross-examination.
PTI’s lawyer Salman Akram Raja conducted the questioning, with petitioner Khawar Maneka’s legal counsel Raja Rizwan Abbasi and public prosecutor Samiullah Jasra also in attendance.
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Additionally, the former prime minister and Bushra Bibi recorded their Section 342 statements in the court. The nikah case hearing commenced at 9:30am and continued for 14 hours until 11pm. Moreover, Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were presented with a questionnaire containing 13 probing questions, further enhancing the scrutiny of the matter.
Following the completion of arguments from both parties, Senior Judge Qudratullah reserved the decision, indicating the complexity and gravity of the case.
