On Saturday Pakistan court acquitted former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, on charges of unlawful marriage. The decision came just a day after Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party secured additional seats in parliament, intensifying pressure on the country’s already fragile government.
“Imran Khan and Bibi sahiba are acquitted,” announced Khan’s lawyer, Naeem Panjutha, on X, using an honorific for Khan’s wife. The PTI party confirmed that with this acquittal by the Islamabad court, no more cases were pending against the 71-year-old Khan that would necessitate his continued imprisonment.
Earlier in February, the couple had been sentenced to seven years for violating Islamic law by not observing the required interval between Bushra Bibi’s divorce from her previous marriage and her marriage to Khan. The recent acquittal has overturned this sentence, leaving uncertainty about their immediate release from jail.
Imran Khan, who has been incarcerated since August, has seen all four of his jail sentences overturned or suspended. Earlier this month, he was acquitted of charges related to leaking state secrets, and his other two sentences were suspended. However, his bail was cancelled last week in connection to the May 2023 violence, where his supporters attacked military installations in protest against his arrest. It remains unclear whether Khan will be remanded in custody on this charge.
Khan faces accusations in several other cases, including charges of violence against the state. Bushra Bibi is also implicated in at least one other charge, where the couple allegedly accepted land as a bribe from a real estate developer during Khan’s tenure as Prime Minister.
The PTI has warned that if Khan remains in jail despite Saturday’s acquittal, it could trigger another political crisis in Pakistan.