Former captain Imran Khan sentenced to 7 years in 'un-Islamic nikah' case

RAWALPINDI: The trial court has handed over seven-year sentence each to former Pakistan captain Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the "un-Islamic nikah" case at the Adiala jail today.

The verdict was pronounced by Senior Civil Judge Qudratullah today, a day after the hearing of the case was conducted inside the jail premises for 14 hours a day earlier.

The judge issued the court's verdict in the case pertaining to the plea filed by Bushra Bibi's ex-husband Khawar Maneka against what he refers to as an un-Islamic and illegal nikah with the former prime minister.

So far, cross-examination of the statements given by the four witnesses in the case has been completed. The statements of Khan and Bushra under section 342 have also been recorded.

The complainant's counsel Raja Rizwan Abbasi, Khan's lawyer Salman Akram Raja and Bushra Bibi's lawyer Usman Gul also gave their final arguments a day earlier.

Maneka, in his petition, had termed Bushra and Khan’s nikkah “fraudulent” contending that the marriage was solemnised during her iddat — following her divorce with him.

“That above said nikah and the marriage ceremony was neither legal nor Islamic as it was solemnised without observing iddah period,” read the petition available with Geo.tv.

He also accused the former prime minister of ruining his entire life with the petition stating that the former cricketer “stigmatised the complainant and his family just to achieve his unethical and immoral objects through intrusion in the complainant's peaceful marital life”.

Imran played 88 Tests and 175 ODIs for Pakistan over the course of his illustrious career.

His averages, 37 with the bat and 22 with the ball, kept him at the top of the quartet of star all-rounders, Ian Botham, Richard Hadlee and Kapil Dev being the others, who impressed one and all in Test cricket in the 1980s.

During Imran's last 10 years of international cricket, he featured in 51 Tests, averaging a remarkable 50 with the bat and 19 with the ball.

Imran also led Pakistan to their first series victory in England in 1987 but the best moment of his career came when the Men in Green clinched the 1992 World Cup trophy under his inspirational leadership.