An Islamabad district and sessions court has accepted the appeals filed by former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi against their conviction in the Iddat case. The judgment was announced by Additional District and Sessions Judge Afzal Majoka on Saturday afternoon after reserving the verdict earlier in the day.
Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were initially convicted on February 3, just days before the general elections, following a complaint by Bushra Bibi’s ex-husband, Khawar Fareed Maneka. He alleged that the couple had married during Bushra Bibi’s Iddat period—a mandatory waiting period for a Muslim woman after divorce or the death of her spouse before she can remarry.
Senior Civil Judge Qudratullah had sentenced both Khan and Bibi to seven years in jail and imposed a fine of Rs500,000 each. The verdict was widely criticized by civil society, women activists, and lawyers. It had coincided with the sentences in the Toshakhana and cipher cases.
With the Toshakhana case sentences suspended and acquittal in the cipher case, Imran Khan’s only remaining incarceration was in the Iddat case. The acceptance of their appeals and subsequent acquittal marks a significant legal victory for the couple.