ISLAMABAD / PESHAWAR: Bushra Bibi, wife of former prime minister Imran Khan, was finally released from Adiala Jail on Thursday, a day after being granted bail in a Toshakhana case, ending nearly nine months of incarceration.

On Wednesday, the Isla­m­abad High Court (IHC) granted her post-arrest bail in the Tosha­khana case concerning a Bulgari jewellery set against Rs2 million in surety bonds.

Following the court’s decision, Bushra Bibi’s legal team submitted the required bonds, leading to Special Judge Central Shahrukh Arjumand issuing her robkar (release warrant) on Thursday. Upon her release, she returned to her residence in Banigala, where she was greeted by supporters. Her legal team expressed satisfaction with the court’s decision.

Bushra Bibi later travelled to Khyber Pakhtun­khwa, where the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) is in power.

According to a statement by KP government spokesperson Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, she safely reached Peshawar and is expected to stay there for some days.

Sources said Bushra Bibi is likely to stay at the chief minister’s annexe during her time in the provincial capital. A PTI insider insisted that her stay is purely for rest and that she is not scheduled to engage in any political activities. She is also expected to undergo a medical checkup at Shaukat Khanum Hospital in Peshawar.

The former first lady was taken into custody on Jan 31 after an Islamabad accountability court sentenced her and Imran to 14 years in jail in the Toshakhana reference. The conviction was the second in a series of three back-to-back ones against Imran, just days before the Feb 8 general elections.

Bushra Bibi had been kept at Adiala Jail, where the PTI founder also remains incarcerated since his arrest on Aug 5 last year in a separate Toshakhana case.

The couple was apprehended in the case on July 13, following their acquittal in the Iddat case the same day. The next day, the already imprisoned politician was “arrested” in connection with a dozen May 9 cases.

In the most recent case, the Federal Investigation Agency accused the couple of retaining an expensive Bulgari jewellery set gifted by a foreign leader — including a necklace, earrings, bracelets and rings — at a low price, saying it caused significant loss to the exchequer.

Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2024