JIT grills Bushra Bibi in gifts case

Courts in Islamabad dismiss Imran’s bail pleas in 9 cases

ISLAMABAD:

Bushra Bibi, the wife of PTI chief Imran Khan, appeared on Tuesday before a five-member joint investigation team (JIT) probing into the allegedly illegal sale of a precious watch presented to Imran by the Saudi crown prince during the former’s term as the prime minister.

According to Qurratulain Ayesha, a member of the PTI legal team, the JIT asked Bushra Bibi 20 questions including queries related to the sale, purchase and receipt of the watch.

“She [Bibi] told the JIT that she neither bought, nor sold any watch from anyone and that all allegations leveled against her and her husband were false and frivolous. She said she is a private person and hardly interacts with anyone,” Ayesha later told the media.

The PTI legal team member said Bushra Bibi answered all the questions asked by JIT. “The JIT appeared completely satisfied and it did not ask the former first lady to appear before it again,” she added.

Islamabad’s Kohsar police station registered a first information report (FIR) against Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi, PTI leader Zulfi Bukhari under various sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) including Section 420 for allegedly presenting fake receipts for buying and selling items obtained from the state’s gift repository known as Toshakhana.

Imran’s wife appeared before the JIT hours after a district and sessions judge gave her the last opportunity to join the Toshakhana fraud case investigation while extending her interim bail in the case till September 7.

On Tuesday, a couple of trial courts dismissed a total of nine bail applications submitted by PTI Chairman Imran Khan in as many criminal cases due to his failure to appear in the courts in person.

Read Purported diary shows Bushra’s iron grip on Imran’s every move

Deposed prime minister Imran Khan was convicted and sentenced to three-year imprisonment on August 5 for hiding the gifts he bought from the state’s gifts repository—Toshakhana— in his statements of assets and liabilities. He is currently incarcerated at Attock jail.

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad dismissed the bail applications of Imran in three cases, two of which were registered at the capital’s Khana Police Station and one at Bharakahu Police Station in the wake of May 9 attacks on military properties and memorials.

ATC Judge Abul Hasnaat Zulfiqar announced the verdict that was reserved earlier. In the order, he noted that Imran's bail in the cases was being cancelled due to his absence from the court.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Sohail Anjum also heard the interim bail petitions of the PTI chief and his wife, Bushra Bibi, in various cases.

The prosecutor adopted the stance that some other courts had terminated the interim bails of the PTI chief in various cases as he had been convicted in a criminal case and was currently in jail.

To a query, some investigation officers present in the courtroom said the PTI chairman had not joined the investigation in any of the cases being adjudicated by the court but one.

Imran’s lawyer Salman Safdar Advocate argued that almost the same charges had been levelled against the former prime minister in all the six cases.  “My client approached the investigation officers in order to join the investigations but received no response.”

He alleged that the police were deliberately not including the PTI chairman in the investigation process.

The judge noted that Bushra Bibi had also not joined the investigation process, adding that the court was granting her a last opportunity in that regard. Safdar said that the former first lady was ready to join the investigation right away. The court later extended the interim bail of Bushra Bibi till September 7.