PESHAWAR: Peshawar High Court on Tuesday grated transit bail to Bushra Bibi, the wife of incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan, till Dec 23 in 27 cases, mostly registered after the recent protest of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf in Islamabad.

A single-member bench consisting of Justice Wiqar Ahmad directed Bushra Bibi to appear before the relevant courts by Dec 23, otherwise, those bails would become ineffective.

Similarly, a two-member bench of Justice Syed Mohammad Attique Shah and Justice Sahibzada Asadullah extended protective bail to Bushra Bibi till Dec 17, directing law enforcement agencies not to arrest her in any of the cases.

Advocate Alam Khan Adenzai appeared for her before both the benches, arguing that she had been charged in multiple cases on political grounds. The petitioner, Bushra Bibi, appeared in the court amid strict security measures. She was accompanied by her spokesperson Mashal Yousafzai.

Bench seeks details of cases registered against her

During a previous hearing on Nov 19, the petitioner had not appeared due to which a bench had warned that her protective bail won’t be extended if she failed to turn up on the next hearing.

On Tuesday, her main petition was fixed before the two-member bench wherein she sought directives of the court for federal and provincial governments to provide details of cases pending against her so that she could approach relevant courts.

Similarly, 27 of her petitions were fixed before the bench of Justice Wiqar Ahmad wherein she sought transit bail in 27 cases, mostly registered in Islamabad and adjoining cities during the Nov 24 and onward protests by PTI.

Advocate Alam Khan contended before the two-member bench that after the recent protests of PTI, law enforcement agencies registered scores of cases against the petitioner and other party leaders and workers about which she had no knowledge.

He said that it was her constitutional right to be provided details of cases registered against her in different cities including Islamabad. The bench inquired from an additional attorney general, Sanaullah Khan, about cases registered against the petitioner. The AAG stated that he would submit report within two weeks.

When Justice Asadullah inquired if the petitioner appeared before relevant courts as she was earlier also granted protective bail by PHC, Mr Adenzai said that after Nov 24 scores of fresh cases were registered against her by the government.

He stated that several of MNAs, MPAs and provincial ministers were charged in fresh cases and they had now been approaching the high court. The bench observed that all the citizens were respectable to the court and it treated them alike irrespective if they were MNAs or ordinary people.

The bench also pointed out that the government objected to the petition contending that it was not maintainable. The bench asked the lawyer to assist the court on the said point whether the petition was maintainable and the court could seek information about cases registered in other provinces.

Similarly, before the single-member bench, Mr Adenzai requested the court to allow more time to petitioner for approaching relevant courts as she had been charged in more than 50 cases.

The bench observed that as winter vacations of courts would commence in the current month, therefore, the petitioner could be granted transit bail till Dec 23.

Meanwhile, PHC granted transit bails to several leaders of PTI including the special assistant to KP chief minister, Sohail Afridi, MNA Mohammad Iqbal Afridi, Senator Falak Naz, former MNA Adil Khan Bazai, former provincial minister from Punjab Raja Mohammad Basharat, former MPA Farah Agha, Ali Zaman, Aliya Hamza and Hamida Shah.

The bench of Justice Wiqar Ahmad granted transit bails to these leaders till Dec 23.

Similarly, the bench of Justice Syed Mohammad Attique Shah and Justice Sahibzada Asadullah granted protective bails to several of these petitioners with the direction to federal government to provide details within a week time about cases registered against them by the federal law enforcement agencies.

AAG Sanaullah Khan objected to their pleas, contending that after getting protective bails they had not been appearing before relevant courts. The bench directed him to provide details about the cases and the court would bind them to appear before relevant courts. The bench observed that it was their constitutional right to get information about the cases registered against them.

Advocate Alam Khan Adenzai appeared for the petitioners.

About Adil Khan Bazai, he stated that the petitioner was an MNA and was recently de-seated by Election Commission of Pakistan. He added that the petitioner wanted to contest by-elections on the vacant seat but scores of cases had been registered against him in Quetta and other districts.

He apprehended that the petitioner would be arrested on his way to relevant courts, therefore, he had approach the high court to get transit bail.

Published in Dawn, December 4th, 2024