- Khan, Bibi jailed for marriage
- Sentenced to seven years
- Political charges claimed
Following the annulment of their marriage, Imran Khan and his wife have been sentenced to seven years in prison by a Pakistani court, marking the latest punishment for the former prime minister.
Khan’s 2018 marriage to faith healer Bushra Bibi was declared non-Islamic and illegal by the court.
Already serving a sentence for corruption, he has been imprisoned. Last Wednesday, the week before the general election, both were convicted of profiting from state gifts.
Khan, 71, claims the multitude of charges against him are politically motivated.
The rise of the former cricket captain to Pakistani prime minister was halted in 2022.
For the latest case, a court was held in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, where Khan served his prior sentences.
Bibi’s former husband filed the complaint, claiming her marriage to Khan was fraudulent.
Muslim family law requires women to wait several months before remarrying after their husband’s death or divorce. The court found Bibi remarried before the end of the waiting period needed following her divorce.
In addition to the seven-year prison term, Khan and Bibi were fined 500,000 rupees ($1,800; £1,420).
Khan’s Tumultuous Journey to Jail
The marriage occurred in 2018, months before Khan became prime minister. Bibi, a spiritual healer thought to be in her forties and always veiled in public, is Khan’s third wife.
Before marrying Jemima Goldsmith in 1995, Khan was known for his playboy lifestyle during his cricketing days. They had two sons over their nine-year marriage.
Saturday saw Khan’s third jail sentence in a week. He received a ten-year sentence on Tuesday for disclosing classified documents.
The trial on Wednesday focused on accusations that he and his wife kept or sold state gifts, like jewellery, from the Saudi Crown Prince.
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They each received a fourteen-year sentence for that case. The court allowed Bushra Bibi to serve her sentence under house arrest.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) claims Khan was tried by “kangaroo courts.”
With Khan and his party marginalized, doubts about the legitimacy of next week’s election were already circulating before the latest sentences.
Despite government denials of a crackdown, many PTI leaders are jailed or have defected.
Following last year’s protests, which sometimes turned violent when Khan was arrested, thousands of party members were detained.
The favourite to win is Nawaz Sharif, a former prime minister thrice.
Before Khan’s 2018 victory, Sharif was imprisoned for corruption. Pakistan’s powerful military establishment now favours him, say many analysts.
