Court bars NAB from arresting Bushra Bibi in Al-Qadir Trust case
PTI chief Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi appear in court. Photo: screengrab
An accountability court in the federal capital on Tuesday stopped the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) from arresting Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi in the Al-Qadir Trust case by granting her interim bail.
At the outset of the hearing presided over by Judge Muhammad Basheer, the former first lady’s lawyer Khawaja Haris appeared before the court and filed an application for Bushra Bibi's interim bail.
Following this, the PTI chief and his wife reached the accountability court under tight security, where Bushra Bibi marked her attendance.
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During the hearing, Haris informed the court that Bushra Bibi did not receive any notice from the anti-graft body. Subsequently. the court accepted the bail application till May 31 and issued a notice to NAB seeking its reply.
Judge Bashir also directed Imran's wife to deposit a surety bond of Rs0.5 million.
It is pertinent to note that Bushra Bibi's protective bail from the Lahore High Court (LHC) was ending today, upon which the legal team decided to file an application for interim bail in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and later in the accountability court.
On May 15, a division bench of the LHC granted protective bail to the PTI chief’s wife till May 23 in the Al-Qadir Trust case. It was the first appearance by the former first lady in court to attend proceedings in a case lodged against her.
The deposed prime minister is already on bail till May 31 in the trust case.