Court reserves verdict on Imran Khan, Bushra’s appeals in Iddat case

A district and sessions court in Islamabad has reserved its verdict on appeals filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi seeking suspension of their sentence in the Iddat case, reported 24NewsHD TV channel

Earlier this month, the Islamabad High Court had directed the district court to decide the pleas seeking the suspension of the sentence of Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi within 10 days. The court had also given one month's time for the decision on the petition filed by the couple against their conviction.

Meanwhile, Bushra had sought a decision on her plea filed in the sessions court seeking sentence suspension.

The verdict reserved on Tuesday will be pronounced on June 27 (Thursday) at 3pm.

The hearing on the couple's pleas seeking annulment of their conviction in the said case has been adjourned till July 2.

It is to be noted that in January, Khawar Maneka, Bushra's ex-husband, had challenged the couple's marriage and had termed their nikah as fraudulent, stressing that the marriage was solemnised during her iddat (the time a woman goes into isolation after a divorce or her husband's death).

A trial court had then handed down a seven-year sentence to the couple in February and imposed a fine of Rs500,000 each on the duo.

Imran Khan and Bushra had then filed various appeals including the ones against their conviction and those seeking suspension of their sentences.

Judge Shahrukh Arjumand had reserved the verdict on their appeals challenging their conviction on May 23. However, in light of Maneka's repeated expression of no-confidence, the IHC, on Judge Arujmand's request, then transferred the case to the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majuka.

Reporter Hashir Ahsan