Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi sentenced to jail for a prohibited union

Imran Khan, the former prime minister of Pakistan, and his wife, Bushra Bibi, have been sentenced to seven years in prison after their marriage was deemed un-Islamic and illegal by a Pakistani court. This is the latest sentence against Khan, who is already in jail for corruption charges. The court held that the couple had profited from state gifts, leading to their conviction just a week before a general election. Khan, who believes that the cases against him are politically motivated, has already been ousted as prime minister in 2022. The court held its session inside the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, where Khan is serving his previous sentences. The complaint against the couple was filed by Bibi's ex-husband, who claimed that her marriage with Khan was fraudulent. According to Muslim family law, women are prohibited from remarrying for a specific period of time after divorce or the death of their husband. The court found that Bibi had remarried before completing this required time. Along with the prison sentence, Khan and Bibi were also fined 500,000 rupees (around $1,800). The couple got married in 2018, just months before Khan became prime minister. Bibi, a spiritual healer who always wears a veil in public, is Khan's third wife, following his previous marriages to British socialite Jemima Goldsmith and journalist Reham Khan. Khan has been detained since his arrest in August. This prison sentence marks his third in less than a week, as he was also jailed for 10 years earlier for leaking classified documents. The case on Wednesday focused on allegations that Khan and his wife sold or kept state gifts, including jewelry from the Saudi Crown Prince, which they had received while in office. Khan's political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has claimed that he was tried by biased "kangaroo courts." Many people have raised doubts about the credibility of the upcoming election, as Khan and his party have been marginalized. The authorities deny any crackdown, but several PTI leaders are either imprisoned or have defected. Nawaz Sharif, a three-time former prime minister who has also been jailed for corruption, is now seen as the frontrunner in the election and is favored by Pakistan's powerful military establishment, according to many analysts.