Islamabad, 3rd Feb. 2024
Imran Khan, former Prime Minister of Pakistan who was removed from office, serves as the Founding Chairman of the political party Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI). Formerly known for his cricket career and later entering politics, he has been convicted and sentenced to a seven-year jail term alongside his third wife, Bushra Bibi, for an unlawful marriage that took place within three months of her divorce from her previous husband, violating Islamic principles. The charges stem from their initial marriage ceremony on January 1, 2018, without adhering to the three-month waiting period mandated by the country’s laws. Subsequently, a second marriage ceremony occurred in mid-February after completing the Iddat period.
Khawar Maneka, first husband of Bushra Bibi, both having 3 daughters and two sons had filed a case on 25th November 2023 against Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi over the allegation of fraudulent marriage and fornication. He held responsible Imran Khan for ruining his married life before eventually marrying Bushra Bibi himself.
He said that Imran was introduced to his family through Bushra’s sister ‘during the Islamabad dharna’ (Imran Khan’s 2014 over 4 months long sit-in) against then government of Nawaz Sharif).
Maneka stated that the PTI chief (Imran Khan) often visited his house for hours in his absence ‘under the guise of spiritual healings’, which was ‘not only undesirable but unethical’.
He further said that Imran used to call Bushra at late hours, with the latter also given separate contact numbers and mobile phones for communication.
Maneka said he ‘half-heartedly’ divorced Bushra on Nov 14, 2017, and had reconciliation in mind before February 2018 but ‘premature nikah during iddah” between Bushra and Imran ‘frustrated his plans’.
In a separate case preceding, Imran Khan faced a 10-year imprisonment for the unauthorized disclosure of national secrets.
In another case Both Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were handed a 14-year jail sentence for the illicit sale of a state precious gift, accompanied by a fine of Pak Rupees 787 million (US$ 2.8 million). Moreover, they were disqualified from participating in public office for a decade.
Imran Khan, the former playboy cricketer turned politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Pakistan from August 18, 2018, to April 10, 2022, was ousted through a historic no-confidence resolution in parliament. The charges included allegations of incapability to govern the country and involvement in significant corruption. Notably, Khan became the first prime minister in Pakistan’s history to be removed through a vote of no confidence, breaking a precedent where previous attempts against other prime ministers, Benazir Bhutto in 1989 and Shaukat Aziz in 2006, had failed.
Presently, Imran Khan faces various serious legal challenges, including charges related to terrorism for planning and managing attacks on over 200 military installations on May 9, 2023. Additional cases involve land bribery in the AlQadir Trust case; money laundering, illegal receipt of funds, and misappropriation of donations intended for a cancer hospital and PTI funds among others.
It is really a sad to witness such an act. For almost 2 years after the “establishment” pressurered politicians in what you called historical vote to remove Mr. Khan from office promising early elections, that nevee took place! Pakistan didn’t make any better since then. The early election decision called by PTI an signed by the President after Imran Khan removal from office was cancelled by the High Court under the pressure of the “establishment” took the country into a chaos and political instability. Non of the allegations against Khan proved good enough to imprison him until the ex-husband of his wife wake up suddenly and filed a case after 5 years then in a record time Mr. Khan was sentenced to 7 years imprisonment on such silly accusations! Of course we understand that the aim was to eliminate Mr. Khan fron the political scene so that the “establishment” can lead the country into elections…