ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested on new charges on Saturday hours after a district and session court in the federal capital ordered to release PTI founder and his wife Bushra Bibi in the illegal marriage case.
Imran Khan and his wife were sentenced to seven years in prison in February this year by a trail court that ruled their 2018 marriage broke the country’s marriage laws due to Bushra Khan allegedly not observing the mandated waiting period, known as “Iddat,” after her previous divorce.
Despite the district and session court’s favorable verdict overturning their conviction, Imran Khan and his wife were arrested on new charges by anti-graft watchdog team led by Deputy Director Mohsin Haroon at Adiala Jail, preventing them from immediate release.
His political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), confirmed the arrests, stating that an Anti-Terrorism Court in Lahore had approved Imran Khan’s arrest in relation to cases stemming from violent protests in May 2023, following his brief detention on corruption charges.
The PTI criticized these new charges as tactics aimed at prolonging Khan’s imprisonment and suggested that his wife might also face unjustified detention in a separate case involving allegations of misappropriating state gifts. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Pakistan’s anti-graft body, was accused of conducting biased investigations against them.
Earlier in the day, a local court had dismissed the charges in the Iddat case against Imran and Bushra Khan, ordering their release if not required in other ongoing cases.
The initial complaint against Khan and Bushra’s marriage was filed by her ex-husband, leading to legal battles that have underscored political tensions and legal controversies in Pakistan.
