By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: A trial court in the garrison city of Rawalpindi indicted former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, on Tuesday on charges of fraudulently entering a marriage without observing the mandatory waiting period after divorce, known as iddat, local media reported.
The charges were brought by Khawar Farid Maneka, Bibi’s former husband, who accused Khan of interfering in their marriage, persuading her to divorce him, and marrying him in 2018, shortly before he became the prime minister.
Khan and Bibi, who appeared before the court at Adiala Jail, where Khan has been detained since August 2023, pleaded not guilty and denied any wrongdoing. Bibi left the hearing midway, citing health reasons.
The judge, Qudratullah, expressed displeasure at Bibi’s departure and questioned the jail authorities for allowing her to leave without permission. He also rejected the lawyer’s request to postpone the indictment until Bibi’s health improved and proceeded to frame the charges against the couple in her absence.
Khan, the founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, came to power in 2018 with a promise of fighting corruption and delivering justice. He has been facing a barrage of legal troubles since he was ousted from office in April 2022 in a parliamentary vote of no confidence.
He has also been indicted in several other cases, related to the misuse of state gifts, leaking state secrets, and contempt of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
Last week, Khan was arrested by the Rawalpindi police in connection with the violent protests that erupted on May 9, 2023, after his brief arrest in a corruption case.
The protesters, mostly PTI supporters, attacked several government buildings, including the General Headquarters of the Pakistan Army, the offices of the country’s top spy agency, and a residence of a top general in Lahore.
Khan has maintained his innocence and claimed that he is a victim of a political vendetta orchestrated by his rivals, whom he calls the “London Plan”, a reference to the alleged meetings of the country’s powerful in London to plot his downfall.
“This case was filed under a planning, they want to dismantle my party,” Khan told the court on Tuesday. “They first pick up people, torture them, and then ‘update their software’.”
The case of Khan’s marriage to Bibi is a new low in Pakistani politics, though Khan’s personal life has often attracted public attention and scrutiny.
Bibi, Khan’s third wife, is a spiritual leader and a divorcee with five children from her previous marriage to Maneka, a former customs officer and a member of a prominent political family.
Maneka has alleged that Khan, who was a follower of Bibi’s spiritual teachings, seduced her, convinced her to divorce him, and married him without observing the iddat period, which is mandatory for Muslim women after divorce or widowhood.
Maneka has filed a complaint against the former first couple under Sections 34, 496, and 496B of the Pakistan Penal Code, each carrying a maximum punishment of seven years in prison for common intention, a marriage ceremony fraudulently gone through without lawful marriage, and fornication.
The court has adjourned the hearing until Jan. 18 and summoned witnesses to testify.
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