Khawar Maneka’s appeal against the acquittal of his former wife Bushra Bibi and Imran Khan in the Iddat (“un-Islamic marriage”) case has been fixed for hearing in the Islamabad High Court.

Newly sworn-in judge Justice Mohammad Azam Khan would preside over the hearing scheduled for Monday (tomorrow).

On July 13, 2024, the Islamabad District and Sessions Court acquitted Khan and his wife Bibi in the iddat case, also known as the nikkah case, brought up against them by Maneka, who claimed they married before the end of the mandatory period after Bibi’s divorce.

Judge Afzal Majoka had overturned their sentences and ordered them to be released at the end of a speedy retrial ordered by Islamabad High Court.

In April, Islamabad High Court suspended Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi’s sentence in the Toshakhana case.

The Islamabad High Court also ordered completing the hearing of Khan’s and Bibi’s appeal in the iddat case within one month. The deadline set by the IHC expired on Friday, July 12.

In his petition, Maneka seeks to have the judge’s ruling declared “null and void.”

Iddat case

The couple were originally sentenced to seven years in prison by a civil court in Islamabad. They were also ordered to pay a fine of Rs500,000 each. Khan and Bushra Bibi appealed the sentence before the sessions court.

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Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi filed appeals and Judge Shah Rukh Arjumand reserved the verdict on May 23.

However, in light of Khwar Maneka’s repeated expression of no confidence, the Islamabad High Court transferred the case to the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka on the request of Judge Arjumand.

Following the High Court’s directive to decide on the suspension of sentences within 10 days, the District and Sessions Court reserved its verdict on the petitions filed by Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi against their sentence on June 25.