Pakistan: Court extends interim bail of Imran Khan's wife in Toshakhana case

ISLAMABAD: A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Thursday extended the interim bail of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's wife Bushra Bibi in the Toshakhana case until September 12, Pakistan-based ARY News reported.

Bushra Bibi along with her lawyers Salman Safdar, Intezar Panjotha, and Naeem Panjotha appeared before Additional Sessions Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra's court.

During the court hearing, the investigation officer (IO), who also appeared in the court, requested the judge to allow the arrest of Bushra Bibi. The investigation officer said that her audio had already been sent to the Federal Investigation Agency for forensics, according to ARY News report. Bushra Bibi's lawyer Salman Safdar complained to the court that investigating officers called his client and made her sit for hours. He further said, "My client has already told them that the audio in question was not hers."

The judge asked when the case was connected to fake receipts, and where did the audio came from? He questioned the investigating officer to confine himself to the text of the FIR, according to ARY News report. The Investigating Officer urged the court to give time to match Bushra Bibi's voice with the audio. The court then adjourned the hearing of the case until September 12.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan's wife Bushra Bibi has been accused of keeping a locket, chain, earrings, two rings, and a bracelet from the Toshakhana gifts. In addition, Bushra Bibi is accused of keeping gold, diamonds, necklace, bracelet, gold, diamond rings, earrings and bracelet. According to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the gifts were not submitted to the Toshakhana to calculate their prices. The Toshakhana issue became a major sticking point in Pakistan's politics after the Election Commission of Pakistan disqualified Imran Khan for making "false statements and incorrect declaration," ARY News reported.

The Toshakhana case alleged that Imran Khan did not share details regarding the gifts he retained from Toshakhana during his tenure as Pakistan's Prime Minister, according to ARY News report. Later, the Islamabad Court suspended the conviction of Imran Khan and directed to release him on bail from Attock Jail.

However, the special court ordered to keep Imran Khan in judicial remand in cipher case. Meanwhile, Bushra Bibi has filed a petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) seeking a stay on her possible arrest, Pakistan-based The News International reported on Tuesday. In the petition, she has sought details of all the cases including undisclosed FIRs registered against her. The petition called the keeping the secrecy of registered cases illegal, unlawful and violative of fundamental rights.

Bushra Bibi in her petition said that after the ‘illegal’ removal of her husband from the office of the prime minister, the political victimization against her, her husband and other family members started by the federal and provincial governments, and law enforcement agencies with mala fide and ulterior motives lodged many false and frivolous FIRs against the petitioner and her husband on the direction of the governments. In her petition, Imran Khan's wife asked the court to declare the act of the respondents illegal and restrain them from arresting the petitioner in any undisclosed case or inquiry.