Court Transfers Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi's Marriage Case Amid Complainant's Objection

A top Pakistani court has transferred Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi's illegal marriage case to another court. The decision followed a lack of confidence expressed by the complainant, Bushra's ex-husband Khawar Maneka, in the initial judge. The couple had been sentenced to seven years in prison each for marrying during the iddat period.

A top Pakistani court on Monday accepted the request of a judge hearing jailed former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi's illegal marriage case to transfer it to another court. This decision came days after the complainant, Bushra’s ex-husband Khawar Maneka, expressed a lack of confidence in the judge.

Khan, 71, and Bushra, 49, were sentenced to seven years in prison each on February 3 by a trial court for contracting the marriage during iddat, a mandatory period for a woman in Islam to wait before a second marriage after the death of her husband or divorce.

The Islamabad High Court on Monday accepted Judge Shahrukh Arjumand's request to transfer the former first couple's illegal marriage case to the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majuka, as reported by Geo News. This move comes after Maneka consistently raised concerns about the initial judge's handling of the case.

The couple had married in 2018, and Khan later went on to win elections and become prime minister. Bushra was initially his spiritual guide but became his third wife after divorcing her husband of 28 years. The transfer of the case follows Maneka's objections and previous attempts to stall the hearings.