A Pakistani court on Saturday overturned the conviction of former Prime Minister Imran Khan on charges of illegal marriage, though he remains in jail on charges of inciting riots.
Khan was convicted in three cases ahead of February’s election – cases he says were staged to prevent his return to power.
All of those cases have now been at least partially withdrawn on appeal, with a decade-long jail term for one treason case overturned in April and a 14-year corruption sentence suspended in June, though the convictions still stand.
Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were also sentenced to seven years in prison for violating Islamic law by marrying soon after a divorce.
But Islamabad Additional District and Sessions Court Judge Afzal Majoka announced in court that “the appeals of both Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi are accepted.”
A spokesman for Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said the allegations had been “rejected”.
Khan, however, remains in jail after a court this week cancelled his bail on charges of inciting riots by his supporters in May 2023.
escalate dispute
Earlier this month, a panel of UN experts found that Khan’s detention “had no legal basis and appeared to be aimed at disqualifying him from holding political office”.
“Thus, from the very beginning, the prosecution was not based on the law and was allegedly used for political purposes,” it said, demanding his immediate release after nearly a year in prison.
Candidates loyal to Khan won the most seats in the national election but were prevented from forming a government by a coalition of rival parties backed by the military.
Khan was prime minister from 2018 to 2022, when he was removed from office through a no-confidence motion after differences with the military establishment. The military establishment has considerable influence over civilian politics.
While in the opposition he led a campaign of defiance against the top generals who had directly ruled Pakistan for decades in its history, even accusing them of an assassination attempt in which he was injured.
But the former cricket star’s bid to return has been hampered by a number of legal cases, which analysts say were possibly brought at the behest of the military establishment.
Khan was first arrested briefly in May 2023, sparking nationwide unrest among PTI supporters, some of whom targeted military installations.
The government and military cited the attacks as a justification for a sweeping crackdown on the PTI, saying it had suffered losses among its senior leadership through arrests and defections.
An anti-terrorism court in the eastern city of Lahore on Tuesday refused to grant him bail as police continued investigating his alleged role in the unrest while he was behind bars.
refrain from action
PTI candidates were forced to stand as independent candidates in the February 8 elections, which have been repeatedly delayed because of political chaos.
Khan’s arrest and conviction on corruption charges in August 2023 meant he was barred from contesting any office, and was imprisoned in a cell in Adiala Jail, south of the capital, Islamabad.
Despite this, candidates loyal to the PTI won more seats than any other party.
Nevertheless, he was denied power by a broad coalition of parties seen as more pliable to military influence.
There were allegations of vote tampering on polling day and mobile internet service was shut down nationwide. Islamabad said this was done due to security concerns.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
