On Wednesday, in the illegal marriage case, a Pakistan court did not announce its verdict on the appeals against the conviction of jailed ex-pm Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi. The judge recused himself from the high-profile case.
On February 3, by a trial court, Khan (71) and Bibi (49) were sentenced to seven years in prison each for contracting the wedding during iddat, a mandatory period for a female in Islam to wait before a second marriage after the demise of her husband or divorce.
In November 2023, the case was filed by Bushra’s ex-husband Khawar Maneka against the couple. He alleged that they wedded without Bushra observing the compulsory waiting period of iddat. He asked the court to announce the wedding null and void.
In Islamabad District and Sessions Court, Khan and Bibi had challenged the verdict. Judge Shahrukh Arjumand heard the appeals and reserved the verdict on May 23.
Instead of announcing the verdict, Judge Arjumand said the case should be transferred due to objection by the complainant who had asked the judge to recuse himself. After the ugly scene on the court premises, the fate of the reserved verdict was not known.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party of Khan also confirmed that the judge recused from the case after the complainant exhibited a trust deficit.
In 2018, the couple had married.
