Imran Khan’s wife moves a Pak HC against declaring her residence as sub-jail

ISLAMABAD: Jailed former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s wife on Tuesday petitioned a top court here against authorities' move to declare her residence as sub-jail and requested it to move her to the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, citing “potential security issues.”

Bushra Bibi, 49, was imprisoned at Khan's Bani Gala residence here after an accountability court last week sentenced the couple to 14 years in jail in the Toshakhana corruption case.

She filed the petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against declaring her Bani Gala residence as sub-jail and instead moving her to Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, where Khan, the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party is lodged too.

“Authorities had declared the Bani Gala residence a "sub-jail" to confine the former first lady at the request of Adiala jail superintendent,” The News International newspaper said.

Khan and Bushra were handed a 14-year jail term, each, when accountability court's Judge Muhammad Bashir announced the verdict in the case related to the illegal sale of state gifts, thus called the Toshakhana corruption case.

The court also disqualified the former prime minister for 10 years from holding public office besides imposing a fine of Rs 1.57 billion — 787 million each — on the couple.

In the petition, Bushra said just like other political workers of PTI, she is ready and willing to serve her sentence in the ‘Ordinary Jail Premises at Adiala Jail, Adiala rather than the declared sub-jail at her residence,’ the newspaper said.

The reason that she gave was that she does not feel safe to be confined alone in the premises of the sub-jail due to “the potential security issues.”

“While the petitioner is in good health currently, however, there has been a movement of unidentified people in her house declared as a sub-jail by the Government thereby contributing to her sense of insecurity,” The News International reported, quoting the petition.

She said the “special treatment” afforded to her goes against the spirit of equality guaranteed under the Constitution and is consequently discriminatory.

Thus, she pleaded with the court to set aside notification to declare her house sub-jail and shift her to Adiala Jail in the “interest of justice,” the newspaper added.