Bibi’s ex-husband, Maneka, filed the case against the couple in November 2023, alleging that they married without her observing the mandatory waiting period of Iddat. He asked the court to declare the marriage null and void.
Khan and Bibi married in 2018, the year Khan went on to win elections and become prime minister.
Bibi was ostensibly his spiritual guide but the two developed affection for each other during their meetings. She got divorced from her husband of 28 years with whom she had five children.
She is the third wife of Khan, a former cricketing hero, who during his heydays of sporting career had a playboy reputation.
PTI chief Gohar Khan welcomed the verdict and said it was a victory for the independent judiciary. “All these cases were fake and he will also get justice in all other cases,” he said, demanding that Imran Khan should be freed as it was the last case in which he was convicted.
The judgment in the case comes a day after Khan’s embattled Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party won a huge legal battle when the Supreme Court declared it eligible for the reserved seats in Parliament and in the provincial assemblies following the controversy-ridden general election on February 8.
Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Friday ruled that the party was eligible for more than 20 seats reserved for women and minorities in Parliament.
Published 13 July 2024, 11:08 IST