Pakistani court overturns ex-PM Khan's conviction in marriage case

A local court in Pakistan on Saturday acquitted former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife of charges related to violations of Muslim marriage laws, effectively rendering him a legally free man.

A district court in Islamabad ordered prison authorities to immediately release Khan if there was no other case pending against him.

The cricketer-turned-politician faces multiple charges in more than 100 cases. His sentences and convictions in other cases have either been suspended or overturned by the courts.

“There is no case that could keep Khan in prison,” a party spokesperson told dpa.

However, Khan will not be immediately released from the jail.

The party said that Khan's pre-arrest bail was rejected by a court in the eastern city of Lahore this week in a false case alleging his involvement in bloody riots last year.

The party said major hurdles have been removed, and Khan would soon be a free man.

Khan tied the knot for the third time with Bushra Bibi in 2018 and faced allegations of violating marriage laws after Bibi’s former husband alleged she married Khan without waiting the full period stipulated after their divorce.

The former sports star was ousted in April 2022 in a parliamentary vote of no confidence.

Khan, who was once supported by the country's powerful military, seems unlikely to return to politics after falling out of favour with the generals who have ruled the nuclear-armed Islamic republic for decades.

On Friday, Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Pakistan Movement for Justice, PTI) became the single largest party in parliament after the top court ordered the election body not to deprive the party from its share of seats reserved for women and minorities.