ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan faced a new round of arrests on Saturday, just hours after a district and sessions court in Islamabad ordered the release of PTI founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in a case regarding their alleged illegal marriage.
Earlier this year, Imran Khan and his wife were sentenced to seven years in prison by a lower court, which found their 2018 marriage violated Pakistan’s marriage laws due to Bushra Khan’s purported failure to observe the mandatory waiting period, known as “Iddat,” after her previous divorce.
Despite the favorable verdict from the district court overturning their conviction, Imran Khan and his wife were arrested again on fresh charges by a team from the anti-graft watchdog led by Deputy Director Mohsin Haroon at Adiala Jail. This move prevented their immediate release.
The PTI confirmed the arrests, citing approval from an Anti-Terrorism Court in Lahore to detain Imran Khan in connection with cases stemming from violent protests in May 2023, which followed his brief detention on corruption charges.
Critics within the PTI condemned these new charges as tactics aimed at prolonging Imran Khan’s imprisonment and expressed concern that Bushra Khan might also face unwarranted detention in a separate case involving allegations of misappropriating state gifts. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Pakistan’s anti-graft body, faced accusations of biased investigations against them.
Earlier in the day, a local court had dismissed the charges related to the Iddat case against Imran and Bushra Khan, ordering their release unless needed for other ongoing legal proceedings.
The initial complaint against Khan and Bushra’s marriage had been filed by her ex-husband, highlighting the ongoing political tensions and legal controversies in Pakistan.
