ISLAMABAD: In a major upset for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan
and his wife Bushra Bibi, a district and sessions court in Islamabad Thursday rejected
their pleas seeking suspension of sentences in the iddat case.
PTI founder and Bushra were each sentenced to seven years in prison in February earlier
this year after a trial court found their nikah to be fraudulent as Khawar Maneka,
Bushra’s ex-husband, moved the court against the couple’s marriage.
Additional Sessions Judge Afzal Majoka announced the verdict on the appeals against
the sentence today, which was reserved on June 25.
Meanwhile, the hearing on the main plea challenging the conviction in the case is set to
take place on July 2.
In the 10-page order, the court mentioned that there was no reason to suspend the
sentence.
“…[there is] no ground for suspension of [the] sentence is available to both the
petitioners. Accordingly, both the petitions under section 426 Cr.PC are dismissed,” it
said.
In response to the verdict issued by the lower court, PTI Secretary General Omar Ayub
Khan said: “[We] will challenge the verdict in the high court immediately.”
Following the announcement, PTI workers began protesting outside the district and
sessions court and also blocked the road. The protesters include women, who chanted
slogans in favour of the PTI founder.
Meanwhile, heavy police deployment was also present outside the court.
Khan, the deposed prime minister who was ousted from power via the opposition’s no-
confidence motion in April 2022, has been facing a slew of charges ranging from
corruption to terrorism since his removal as the premier.
He has been behind bars since August last year after he was sentenced in the Toshakhana
case and subsequently sentenced in other cases ahead of the February 8 elections.
Despite securing relief in other cases including £190 million reference and Toshakhana,
and acquittal in the cipher case earlier this month, the former premier remains behind
bars due to his conviction in the iddat case.
Khan has also been granted bail in the May 9 cases registered in Lahore, Rawalpindi,
and Faisalabad. On the other hand, the Federal Investigation Agency also twice
interrogated him in the jail regarding an anti-state post shared on X, formerly Twitter.
There is, however, no new case against the PTI founder.