An Additional District and Sessions Court is likely to pronounce its reserved verdict on Thursday on the pleas by former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, for the suspension of their sentences in the iddat case. The decision would be announced by Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka after going through all the available evidence and arguments advanced by the parties. Most likely, the judgment would come at 3 PM.

What is the Iddat Case?

During the last hearing, counsels Salman Safdar and Zahid Asif Chaudhry appeared for Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi, and Khawar Maneka, respectively. Earlier this month, the Islamabad High Court directed the session court to announce the verdict on the plea of Bushra Bibi within ten days. Bushra Bibi has appealed before the IHC against her conviction in the Iddat case, wherein she and Imran Khan were sentenced to seven years in jail besides being fined Rs 500,000 each.

The marriage between Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi took place in February 2018 in a low-key private ceremony with only close relatives and friends present at a residence in Lahore. The nikkah was performed by Mufti Saeed. The former PTI leader Awn Chaudhary and the former SAPM Zulfi Bukhari acted as witnesses. Khawar Maneka, Bushra Bibi’s former husband, has said it was an illegal marriage and against Sharia laws of Islam. He accused the couple of marrying during the three-month “iddat period” following Bushra Bibi’s divorce and also accused them of fornication.

Tied to allegations of an ‘un-Islamic’ marriage during the iddat period, the case holds great legal and social repercussions. A verdict was kept reserved in the iddat case by Judge Qudratullah, and huge media hype is given to it in Pakistan. But at a time when the announcement is highly awaited by both supporters and critics of Imran Khan,.

This verdict has been long-awaited, and legal teams belonging to both sides have indefatigably worked towards this moment. What gives more credibility to the case is the involvement of the Islamabad High Court. This decision shall decide the political and personal lives of both Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi; hence, it would deal with an intensely important moment in Pakistan’s legal-political circles.

Source: ARY

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