ISLAMABAD: Jailed former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi’s legal team on Friday urged a local court in the federal capital for an early hearing and judgment in a case in which they have been convicted of contracting unlawful marriage, one of their lawyers said.

The couple were sentenced to seven years in prison in February ahead of Pakistan’s national elections by a court that ruled that their 2018 marriage went against the law. Khan’s wife was accused of not completing the waiting period mandated by Islam, called “Iddat,” after divorcing her previous husband and marrying Khan.

The couple signed their marriage contract, or “Nikkah,” in January 2018 in a secret ceremony seven months before the former cricket superstar became prime minister for the first time. Bibi’s ex-husband, Khawar Maneka, to whom she was married for about 30 years, brought a criminal complaint against the couple, accusing them of undermining the country’s marriage laws.

Last week, an Islamabad district court judge failed to announce the judgment on the couple’s appeals after Maneka expressed no-confidence over proceedings of the case, and the judge requested the Islamabad High Court to transfer the matter to another court for fresh hearings.

“This is one of the bogus cases against Imran Khan and his wife, and we have appealed the court for an early hearing and judgment as the case has already been lingering for months now,” advocate Niazullah Niazi, one of Khan’s legal team members who appeared in the court, said.

Prior to that, a district court judge, Muhammad Afzal Majoka, took up the petition on Friday, but prosecutors failed to appear in the court, prompting the judge to point out that a notice had been issued to the complainant and the court would hear the case even in his absence.

Niazi told Arab News it was unprecedented for a district court judge to complete all the hearings and then request the high court for transfer the case on the last day, instead of announcing the verdict.

“This is a criminal appeal against the convictions, and the courts usually conclude them in two to three hearings,” be continued, adding the prosecution in the case was using different “tactics and excuses” to delay the judgment.

The court has adjourned the case until June 11 with fresh notices to the complainant to present their arguments on the next hearing.

Khan has been in prison since August last year and is facing multiple charges. His wife was also shifted to Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail with him last month from their Bani Gala residence in Islamabad where she was kept for around three months after her conviction.

BENGALURU: Pakistan have a tendency to underestimate less established teams at major tournaments, captain Babar Azam said, adding that his side played well below their standard in a shocking defeat to the United States at the Twenty20 World Cup on Thursday.
The US beat Pakistan in a Super Over in Dallas to achieve one of the biggest upsets in Twenty20 World Cup history and secure their second win of the tournament.
This is not the first time that Pakistan have suffered a defeat to lower-ranked opposition in major tournaments, with the 2009 champions losing to Zimbabwe in the 2022 T20 World Cup and Afghanistan at last year’s 50-overs World Cup.
“Whenever you come into any tournament, you always do the best preparation,” Babar told reporters after the defeat.
“But you can say it’s a kind of mindset, when you come up against a team like this, you relax a little. You take things a little lightly.
“If you don’t execute your plan against any team, then whatever team it is, they will beat you. I believe that we are not up to the mark in executing. We are doing well in preparation, but in the match, we are not executing our plans as a team.”
Babar also lamented his side’s failure to take wickets in the first half of the US innings, with an early 68-run partnership between Mohank Patel and Andries Gous proving vital in the host nation’s chase.
“We are not playing good in all three departments,” Babar said.
“We are better than that in the bowling, we aren’t taking wickets in the first six overs. In the middle overs, if your spinner is not taking wickets then pressure is on us.
“But I think the way they finished the game in the super overs, credit to the US team.”
Pakistan next face arch rivals India in a blockbuster game in New York on Sunday.