- High court grants 14-day protective bail on a plea seeking details of cases registered anywhere in country
PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday granted a 14-day protective bail to Bushra Bibi, the wife of PTI founder Imran Khan and sought a report from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) within two weeks.
The court also barred arrest of the petitioner in any case registered anywhere against her during the period of protective bail.
A two-member PHC bench, comprising Justice Shakeel Ahmed and Justice Sahibzada Asadullah issued the order on petition filed Bushra Bibi, seeking details of the cases registered against her across various provinces.
The bench issued directives to the federal government and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to submit a report on the matter within two weeks.
The court sought details of the cases from the NAB and FIA, among other agencies.
During the proceedings, Alam Khan Adenzai, the counsel for Bushra Bibi, informed the court that this application pertained to details of the cases against her, which have been registered in all four provinces.
On the court’s query, the counsel acknowledged that none were registered within Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), which was why she moved the court.
He also argued that if there are cases registered in other provinces, his client could seek protection from Peshawar.
Justice Sahibzada Asadullah remarked that if there is no case in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the court could provide protection for Punjab, Balochistan and Sindh, as it has done previously.
Later, Bushra Bibi withdrew her application for a transit bail after she was granted a protective bail.
Bushra moves PHC for transit bail
On Monday, Bushra Bibi filed petitions in the PHCÂ seeking details of cases against her and transit bail to enable her appearance in court.
Her attorney, Alam Khan Adenzai, submitted two separate petitions.
The first petition requests the court to direct relevant authorities to disclose all cases registered against her as the spouse of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman.
Bushra expressed that while multiple cases had been lodged against her by the federal government, she was unaware of their specific locations or details.
In her petition, she asserted that it is her legal right to be informed about the cases filed against her, which she has yet to receive from the relevant authorities.
The petition was reviewed by Chief Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim on Tuesday (today).
The second petition seeks transit bail, naming the federal government and other relevant departments as respondents.
Bushra noted that due to the government’s registration of multiple cases against her, she intends to appear before the courts to seek relief.
However, she expressed concerns about potential arrests, leading her to request transit bail.
Interim bail extended to November 4
Previously, an Additional District and Sessions Judge extended Bushra Bibi’s interim bail in the Toshakhana fake receipts case until November 4.
The court also granted her a one-day exemption from attendance.
During the hearing, Barrister Salman Safdar informed the court that Bushra Bibi has been unwell since her release from jail. The judge approved her request for exemption and extended her interim bail.
Safdar stated that he would present arguments on the bail applications during the next hearing.
The court has adjourned the hearing on the bail applications of the founder of PTI in three cases, as well as Bushra Bibi’s application, until November 4.
Both the founder of PTI and Bushra Bibi have filed for bail in the Toshakhana fake receipts case. Additionally, the former Prime Minister has also submitted bail requests in two cases related to vandalism and protests
