An Islamabad district and sessions court ordered on Saturday to release former Pakistan PM and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the Iddat case, Dawn reported. Additional district and sessions judge (ADSJ) Afzal Majoka announced the judgment a little after 3pm after reserving the verdict earlier in the day. According to the Dawn, the judge said after accepting their appeals: "If they are not wanted in any other case, then PTI founder Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi should be released [from jail] immediately.
" The judge said the orders for the release of PTI founder and his spouse have been issued. The PTI founder and Bushra were sentenced to seven years in prison and awarded a fine of Rs 500,000 each, in February earlier this year 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 decision that was widely criticised by civil society, women activists and lawyers.
The verdict had coincided with the Toshakhana and cipher case sentences. The couple had then challenged their conviction and had even moved the IHC seeking varying relief from the court. The verdict clears the last existing legal hurdle keeping Imran in jail as he has been acquitted by various courts in several other cases -- including Toshakhana and cipher -- filed against him since the events of May 9, 2023 -- the day when his first arrest had caused riots across the country, following.