Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi File Appeal Against Illegal Marriage Verdict

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and former Prime Minister Imran Khan, alongside his wife Bushra Bibi, have lodged an appeal challenging the recent ruling in the contentious illegal marriage case.

The appeal, submitted to the District and Sessions Courts in Islamabad on Friday, contests the verdict delivered by Civil Judge Qudratullah on February 2, which found the couple guilty of solemnizing their nikah during Bushra Bibi’s iddat after her divorce from Khawar Maneka.

Read also: Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi Sentenced to 7 Years in Nikah Case

The sessions court is slated to review the appeal filed by the couple. Sources close to the matter reveal that Bushra Bibi’s legal team vehemently criticized the previous judgment, asserting it to be “contrary to the facts.”

Key points underscored in the appeal include the dismissal of a plea regarding the court’s jurisdiction without providing any rationale, along with allegations of procedural irregularities during the trial conducted by the civil court.

Moreover, the appeal contends that the trial court overlooked Sharia law pertaining to divorce, despite its pivotal relevance to the case.

The appeal, represented by advocate Khalid Yusuf Ch, lists the federal government and Bushra Bibi’s former husband, Khawar Farid Manika, as respondents.

Bushra Bibi maintains that she was divorced in April 2017 and subsequently relocated to her mother’s residence in August 2017. She argues that the trial court lacked jurisdiction and asserts that its decision was unlawful, un-Islamic, and unjust.

The appeal seeks to overturn the judgment that sentenced Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi to seven years’ imprisonment in connection to the illegal marriage case.