Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were sentenced on Saturday to seven years in prison for contracting a marriage which did not fulfil Islamic injunctions for marriage to a divorced woman.
The couple were also fined Rs500,000 each.
Senior Civil Judge Qudratullah read out the previously reserved judgement on Saturday afternoon in Adiala Jail, where the trial has been taking place. The couple were present in court when the verdict was read out.
The verdict came a day after Bushra Bibi and Imran Khan's statement under Article 342 were recorded in the case.
After conducting a marathon hearing over 14 hours, where arguments from the prosecution and the defence were completed, the court had reserved its judgement.
The case against the couple was initiated after Bushra Bibi's former husband, Khawar Maneka, filed a civil suit over the illegal marriage.
Maneka had claimed that Bushra Bibi did not complete the mandatory four-month iddat, as specified in Islamic injunctions, from the time her divorce was finalised and when she married Imran Khan, which is why the nikkah had to be performed twice.
The other day, the cross-examination of the four prosecution witnesses was completed. The witnesses included Khawar Maneka, Aon Chaudhry, Mufti Saeed and Maneka's household employee Latif.
Imran Khan was represented by his lawyer, Salman Akram Raja, while Bushra Bibi was represented by Usman Gill. Raja Rizwan Abbasi represented Khawar Maneka.
Fight between honour and dishonour
Speaking informally to reporters, Bushra Bibi said that the matter of iddat has been clearly defined in the Holy Quran.
The Lord has already described the issue. This decision has been issued by satan; this is a fight between the honourable and the dishonourable.
Bushra Bibi said that it is the people who must decide.
Imran said that a puppet and a slave had arrived from abrod and who would work per the wishes of his masters.