International
Imran Khan, wife jailed for 7 more years in the 3rd sentence in 5 days
* Party slams ‘shameful’ verdict after ‘rushed hearings, no cross-examination, no due process — mockery of law’
February 04, 2024 | 12:37 AM
Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Khan were sentenced to seven years in prison and fined yesterday by a court that ruled their 2018 marriage broke the law, his party said.It was the third ruling against Khan in five days and comes ahead of national elections on Thursday that he is barred from contesting.Khan, 71, has in recent days been sentenced to 10 years for "leaking state secrets" and 14 years along with this wife for illegally selling "state gifts". His representatives say he will launch appeals in all three cases.It was not immediately clear if his various sentences would run concurrently.Khan is in prison in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, while his wife will serve her sentence at their residence in nearby Islamabad. He already faces a 10-year disqualification from holding public office."After hours of rushed hearings at court, no cross examination of witnesses, and no due process — a mockery of the law," Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), said in a statement."With the way these trials are being conducted, there will be a huge question mark on the February 8th elections. This is a test case for Pakistan’s higher judiciary."The couple were each fined Rs500,000 ($1,800), ARY News reported.Bushra was accused of not completing the waiting period mandated by Islam, called "Iddat", after divorcing her previous husband and marrying Khan.The Khans signed their marriage contract, or "Nikkah", in January 2018 in a secret ceremony seven months before the former cricket superstar became prime minister for the first time.The Khans both denied wrongdoing."Can say I’m a witness in the Nikkah and categorically, it’s yet another fake case," Khan’s media adviser Zulfi Bukhari told Reuters. "From witnesses to the evidence to the procedure.""This shameful case is illogical. All of this is happening for political goals," said Khan’s lawyer Gohar Ali Khan, adding that the conviction and jail terms would be challenged in court."The charges of corruption and now these ones are an attempt to raise moral questions on his character," lawyer Sabahat Rizvi, who was not involved in the case, told AFP yesterday."They are targeting him because they could not diminish his aura."Bushra’s ex-husband, Khawar Maneka, to whom she was married for about 30 years, suddenly brought a criminal complaint against the Khans late last year, said a person with direct knowledge of the matter. In contrast, in a 2018 interview, Maneka had denied Khan had any involvement in the breakdown of his marriage, fuelling speculation that he was forced to bring the current case to humiliate the former prime minister.Few journalists have been given access to the court, but The Nation newspaper said yesterday the couple insisted they had waited the proper time before marrying."The divorce deed presented by Khawar Maneka is a fabricated document," The Nation reported Bibi as saying in a statement Friday to a special court session at Adiala jail, where Khan is being held."Khawar Maneka gave me a triple divorce in April 2017," it quoted Bibi’s statement as saying."Imran Khan and I solemnised our marriage on January 1, 2018."The newspaper said the couple questioned why Maneka had waited so long to make his complaint, arguing he only raised the issue last year after being detained in a graft case.Khan fell out with the powerful military before being controversially removed through a vote of no-confidence in parliament that he alleges was orchestrated at the behest of the Biden Administration.Washington has denied any involvement although it has kept mum over the treatment being meted out to Khan, his party leadership and a general crackdown on his supporters.Bushra is known for her devotion to Sufism, a mystical form of Islam.Born Bushra Riaz Watto, she changed her name to Khan after her marriage. Her husband and followers commonly refer to her as Bushra Bibi, a title that denotes respect in Urdu.It was not clear when or how Khan met Bushra, but former aide Aun Chaudhry said Khan was impressed with her spirituality.Khan has said he is keenly interested in Sufism.The former cricket superstar’s two previous marriages — to Jemima Goldsmith, daughter of tycoon James Goldsmith, and television journalist Reham Nayyar Khan — ended in divorce.Bibi, his third wife, rarely appears in public and wears a face-covering hijab when she does.Khan has been fighting dozens of cases since his ouster. He and his party have been subjected to a military-backed crackdown, including arrests of hundreds of supporters, party members and key aides.The military, which has for decades held sway over Pakistan’s politics, denies it is involved.NAB, the anti-graft agency that put Khan on trial, has at various times investigated, tried and jailed all prime ministers to have served since 2008, including Nawaz Sharif, whose party is considered the frontrunner in next week’s election after returning in the good books of the military.
February 04, 2024 | 12:37 AM