Daily Times

A district and sessions court in Islamabad reserved on Thursday the verdict on appeals challenging the sentences of PTI founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the iddat case.

The court will announce the judgement on May 29 (Wednesday).

Judge Shahrukh Arjumand heard the appeals against the seven-year sentence of the former premier and the former first lady. PTI counsel Usman Riaz Gul and the assistant counsel to Khawar Maneka’s lawyer Rizwan Abbasi appeared before the court.

As the hearing commenced, the assistant counsel informed the court that Abbasi had to present arguments and added that the record was not available. The judge then asked the PTI lawyer to finalise arguments and also directed Maneka’s assistant counsel to inform Abbasi that he has to present his arguments via video link by 1 pm.

During the hearing, PTI lawyer Gul contended that the case was initiated solely for political motives, emphasizing the delayed filing of Maneka’s complaint after nearly six years as evidence of malicious intent.

He asserted that determining the validity of the marriage falls within the jurisdiction of the family court, not the criminal court. Additionally, he said Bushra’s statement under Section 342 indicates that she underwent divorce in April 2017 and remarried after completing the iddat period.

The deputy district prosecutor Adnan Ali urged for the conviction to be maintained, asserting that there is no legal provision exempting such cases from criminal prosecution. He added that the complainant did not seek annulment of the marriage, but rather sought punishment for marrying during the iddat period. The prosecutor also claimed that the PTI founder’s repeated interference in Maneka and Bushra’s lives resulted in their separation. On April 30, a district and session court in Islamabad rejected Maneka’s plea seeking transfer of the iddat case, to another court.

Maneka’s plea cited a lack of trust in the presiding judge, Shahrukh Arjumand, for seeking the transfer. “The court has a favourable attitude towards PTI, so I request that my case be transferred to another court,” said Maneka as the proceedings commenced.

However, Judge Arjumand disagreed with Maneka and said he has never lost trust as a judge during his career. The lawyers representing Imran and Bushra had already expressed dissatisfaction earlier with what they claim are the “delaying tactics” of Khawar Maneka’s lead counsel, as well as a court decision to postpone the iddat case.

Maneka, Bushra’s former husband, filed a case against the couple in November 2023, alleging that the former PM and first lady had married without Bushra observing the mandatory waiting period-iddat-required for Muslim women between two marriages.

On February 3, 2024, a trial court sentenced Imran and Bushra to seven years in prison each for contracting the marriage during iddat. The PTI founder and his wife subsequently challenged the order in Islamabad District and Sessions Court.