Islamabad, July 13 (Reuters) - Former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his third wife were acquitted by a Pakistan court on charges of unlawfully marrying. However, Khan will remain in jail due to new arrest orders.

This ruling followed a win by Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, which gained more seats in parliament, putting pressure on the struggling ruling coalition.

In February, Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were sentenced to seven years for allegedly not observing the required waiting period after Bushra's divorce before marrying Khan. They appealed this conviction and have now been acquitted. The appeal court order said, "Both the appellants are acquitted of the charges... They are directed to be released forthwith if not required to be detained in any other case." The prosecution's case was deemed unproven.

Despite this, authorities have issued fresh arrest warrants for Khan related to violence against the military and state installations from May 2023. His bail was recently canceled by an anti-terrorism court for one of these cases.

The PTI party claims these new warrants are a "gimmick" to prolong Khan's imprisonment. Bushra Bibi is currently on bail for a separate land corruption case involving Khan. All four of Khan's previous jail sentences have been overturned or suspended, including charges of leaking state secrets and other corruption charges.

The PTI warns that keeping Khan in jail will worsen the political crisis that began when he was ousted in a 2022 parliament vote. Khan accuses the powerful military generals of orchestrating his removal. Since gaining independence in 1947, no prime minister of Pakistan has completed a full five-year term.