Pakistan court overturns ex-PM Khan's 'illegal marriage' conviction

Pakistan court has overturned ex-prime minister Imran Khan's conviction on illegal marriage charges. (Photo/Reuters)

A Pakistan court has overturned ex-prime minister Imran Khan's conviction on illegal marriage charges, though he remains jailed over allegations of inciting riots.

Khan was slapped with a trio of convictions in the days before the February elections cases he says were orchestrated to prevent his return to power.

A spokesman for Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said on Saturday that the charges had been "dismissed".

Those cases have now all been partially rolled back on appeal, with a treason conviction carrying a decade jail term overturned in April, and a 14-year graft sentence suspended in June, though the conviction still stands.

Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi had also been sentenced to seven years for allegedly marrying too soon after her divorce in a breach of Islamic law.

But Islamabad Additional District and Sessions Court judge Afzal Majoka announced in court that the "appeals of both Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi are accepted".

Khan remains locked up, though, after a court this week cancelled his bail over accusations he incited riots by his supporters in May 2023.

Courting controversy

Earlier this month a UN panel of experts found Khan's detention "had no legal basis and appears to have been intended to disqualify him from running for political office".

"Thus, from the outset, that prosecution was not grounded in law and was reportedly instrumentalised for a political purpose," it said, calling for his immediate release after nearly a year in jail.

In February polls, candidates loyal to Imran Khan won the largest share of seats — despite an election commission ruling requiring them to contest as independents.

Khan came to power in 2018 and ousted through a no-confidence vote in Parliament in April 2022. He alleged the US played a role in his ousting through a parliamentary no-confidence vote.

Washington denies the accusations.

Khan was first briefly arrested in May 2023, sparking nationwide unrest from PTI supporters.

An anti-terrorism court in the eastern city of Lahore on Tuesday refused to bail him as police investigate his alleged role in the unrest, despite the fact he was behind bars at the time.

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Source: TRT