Former Pak PM Imran Khan, wife sentenced to 7-yr jail for illegal marriage
Islamabad: Former Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan and his wife Bushra Khan have been sentenced to a seven-year prison and fined by a court on Saturday, which ruled that their marriage in 2018 violated the law, media reports said, citing his party.
This marks the third judgment against the beleaguered ex-Prime Minister this week, just before national elections on Thursday, from which he is disqualified, Reuters reported.
The imprisoned 71-year-old Imran Khan has recently faced a 10-year sentence for divulging state secrets and a 14-year term, along with his wife, for illegally selling state gifts.
Bushra Khan was accused of not observing the mandated waiting period, known as "Iddat" in Islam, after divorcing her previous husband and subsequently marrying Imran Khan, the report said.
The couple officially married, which is done in Islam by entering into a marriage contract known as "Nikkah," in January 2018, through a discreet ceremony held seven months before the charismatic former cricket superstar assumed the role of Prime Minister for the first time.
Controversy arose over the timing of their marriage with many pointing out that the waiting period was not completed.
Initially denying the January union, Imran Khan's political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), later confirmed it after several weeks.
Both Imran and Bushra Khan vehemently denied any wrongdoing.
Imran Khan is currently jailed in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, while his wife serves her sentence at their hilltop mansion in Islamabad.
He already faces a 10-year disqualification from holding public office.
It remains unclear whether the sentences will run concurrently or sequentially.
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