A PAKISTANI court has convicted and sentenced former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife to seven years in prison on a charge that their 2018 marriage violated the law, officials have said.

The latest verdict on Saturday follows another case in which Mr Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were sentenced to 14 years in prison on Wednesday for corruption. 

It comes ahead of February 8 parliamentary elections in which Mr Khan has already been disqualified through a raft of convictions while his party struggles to run an election campaign.

It was Mr Khan’s fourth conviction since 2022, when he was ousted from power. His sentences total 34 years and will be served concurrently.

Analysts say Mr Khan’s multiple and apparently hasty convictions are seen by his party and supporters as punishment for his rhetoric against Pakistan’s powerful military leadership. 

During his final months in power, Mr Khan had broadened his fight with opponents to include the military.

The prosecution said Mr Khan and Ms Bibi violated the law that a woman must wait three months before marrying again.

Gohar Khan from Mr Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party said: “This is a bogus case against Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi, but still they were given maximum prison sentences by the court.”