Political analysts, journalists weigh in on un-Islamic nikah case verdict
ISLAMABAD: Political analysts and experts have weighed in on a district and session court’s ruling which acquitted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi in the iddat case — also known as un-Islamic nikah case.
Additional Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka on Saturday announced the reserved verdict and accepted the former premier and his wife’s pleas challenging their conviction in the case.
In February, the PTI founder and his wife were sentenced to seven years in prison and awarded a fine of Rs500,000 each, after a trial court found their nikah to be fraudulent as Khawar Maneka, Bushra’s ex-husband, moved the court against the couple’s marriage.
The couple had then challenged their conviction and had even moved the IHC seeking varying relief from the court.
Reacting to the iddat case verdict, journalist and analyst Shahzaib Khanzada, while speaking to Geo News, said that the verdict was a necessary decision which holds immense importance for women.
Khanzada said: “Whether it was expected or not, it was a definitely a necessary decision because the decision taken was a very bad one, it was bad for women.
“An ex-husband wakes up after six to seven years, realises that his former wife had remarried during her iddat period and decides to file a court case against her and her current husband who end up getting life sentences simultaneously.”
He insisted that despite some wrongful statements by the PTI founder at some points, the “evidences and scenarios presented in this case did not justify making it a criminal case with such strict sentences”.
He emphasised that Maneka made some “extremely obscene remarks about his former wife” and the decision announced today was “correct”.
“This was a useless case which was clearly formed for political victimisation”, he said.
Meanwhile, anchorperson Hamid Mir said that a judge had earlier reserved verdict on the same case, however, the judge was changed after Maneka raised hue and cry in the court.
Maneka enjoyed support (of powerful circles), Mir added.
Then another judge held hearing of the case and the Islamabad High Court (IHC) directed to decide the case in a month, he said giving background of what unfolded in the case earlier.
Mir said the same judgment was expected as the Pakistan Penal Code section on which the case was filed did not fulfill the law’s requirement as the case was not filed by one of the partners.
“This would have been valid if one of them had claimed that he/she was defrauded,” he said.
He said had verdict come against the couple then this would have opened the door for more such cases.
Mir said, as per his information, Imran and Bushra were thinking about filing a defamation case against Maneka now. On the other hand, he said, Maneka had the right to go in appeal against the order.
Salaar Khan, a lawyer, said that the release of Khan would depend on other pending cases against him as, for now, it was not expected after his bail was earlier cancelled in the May 9 case.
“It will also depend on whether or not an arrest is ordered in any other cases, and proceedings in appeal,” he wrote in a post on X.
Of all the cases against Imran, the iddat case was, perhaps, the most absurd and vile, he said.
“A seven-year sentence — determined after a public audit of a woman’s menstrual cycles — has now rightfully been rubbished, with orders to release both Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi,” he maintained.