Bushra Bibi moves IHC for Imran’s protection

PTI chief also challenges rejection of bail pleas in £190m corruption, Toshakhana cases

ISLAMABAD:

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday overruled the objections raised by the Registrar's Office, fixing for hearing on Thursday (tomorrow) a petition of Bushra Bibi for provision of security and protection to her husband, Imran Khan, in Adiala Jail.

IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq heard the petition along with the objections of the Registrar's Office. Latif Khosa Advocate, the lawyer for Bushra Bibi, argued in the court, saying that the former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman’s life was in danger in the jail.

The court overruled the objections of the Registrar's Office, ordering to fix the petition for hearing. The court also accepted Khosa’s requested for the hearing of the petition on Thursday, Oct 5.

In the petition, Bushra expressed the fear that her husband might be poisoned through food in the jail. She said that Imran was not allowed the home-cooked meal – a facility provided to under-trial prisoners in the past.

She contended that any adulterated food could be harmful to Imran’s life.

Bushra also claimed that the PTI chairman was not being provided the facilities he was entitled to under the Jail Manual. She added that “the inhumane treatment” meted out to her husband in jail was in violation of articles 9 and 14 of the Constitution.

Imran was shifted to the Adiala Jail on Sept 26 on the IHC’s order.

The other night, the police ramped up security in the vicinity of the Adiala Jail by deploying elite commandos and setting up additional security pickets to ensure foolproof measures.

Read Bushra fears Imran could be ‘poisoned’ in Adiala Jail

Later, Imran’s lawyer Naeem Haider Panjutha told reporters that Bushra met the former prime minister in Adiala Jail on Tuesday, claiming that there was danger to Imran’s life.

“I fear Imran can be food poisoned slowly … he is being mentally tortured and his movement has been restricted,” he said.

Panjutha alleged that he had received reports last night that the PTI chief was moved to a lower-class cell. “Security personnel have been stationed outside the cell and mobile phones have been taken for them,” he said, claiming that these were new ways of “breaking” Imran.

Before his transfer to the Adiala Jail, Imran was lodged in the Attock District Jail after his conviction in the Toshakhana case.

Last month, the IHC suspended his sentencing but immediately afterwards he was arrested in the cipher case. The trial of cipher case was continuing inside the Attock jail.

The case would now be heard by the special court inside the Adiala Jail on Wednesday (today). Earlier, special court Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain had written a letter to the law ministry, seeking its opinion regarding the trial inside the prison.

The judge said that if there were no security concerns about Imran’s security, the case could be heard in a special court under the Official Secrets Act. Besides, the court would also take up an FIA request for in-camera hearing of the case.

Separately, the PTI chairman challenged the accountability court’s decision on Aug 10 to reject his bail applications in the £190 million corruption and Toshakhana cases.

He said that his bail applications were rejected because of his absence from the court. He said that on that date, he was in jail and it was not in his power to appear in the court. He requested the court to overturn the Aug 10 decisions of the accountability court and provide interim bail to him until his applications were decided.

Meanwhile, the Registrar's Office raised objections to the applications but fixed both of the petitions for hearing with objection by a division bench led by Chief Justice Farooq and Justice Babar Sattar on Wednesday (today).Home horizontal 1 and pak (NATIONAL PAGE)