Bushra doesn’t want preferential treatment

Former first lady request IHC to set aside January 31 notification declaring her house a sub-jail

ISLAMABAD:

In an interesting development, the former first lady, Bushra Bibi, whose residence was declared a sub-jail after her conviction in a gift repository case, has requested the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to allow her to serve her time at Adiala Jail “in the interest of justice.”

An accountability court on January 31 sentenced Bushra Bibi and her husband, former prime minister Imran Khan, to 14 years in prison in a case pertaining to the misuse of the state’s gift repository—Toshakhana—during the latter’s term as the PM.

After the court verdict, Bushra Bibi surrendered to Adiala Jail authorities where Imran has been detained since September last year and where the court heard the case and delivered its ruling.

However, after keeping her waiting at the jail’s waiting room for over ten hours, the authorities shifted the convict back to Imran Khan’s personal residence at Bani Gala in view of a notification issued by the Islamabad chief commissioner.

The chief commissioner issued the notification under Section 541 of the CrPC on the request of the Adiala Jail superintendent. Sources had then revealed to The Express Tribune that the jail authorities had received a call in which an unknown caller had threatened to attack the jail in the coming days.

Bushra has, however, moved an application, requesting the IHC to set aside the chief commissioner’s notification and allow her to serve her sentence like “other PTI workers” in an ordinary jail.

In her writ petition, the convict noted that she does not feel safe to be confined alone in the premises of the sub-jail due to potential security issues. She said there has been movement of unidentified people in her house contributing to her sense of insecurity.

She said in the absence of compelling reasons, transferring her to a sub-jail is not feasible owing to security concerns and ensuing hardships.

Bushra stated that special treatment meted out to her while other political workers are detained in ordinary jails goes against the very spirit of equality guaranteed under the Constitution and is consequently discriminatory.

“The impugned notification also goes against the principle of justice and equality as provided under Islam whereby each and every citizen is to be afforded equal treatment and no individual is superior to another or is given preferential treatment,” she added.

She said notwithstanding any grievances that the petitioner has with the mode and manner in which she was convicted and the basis of the said conviction, she as a law abiding citizen of Pakistan wishes to serve her sentence “like any other convict” at Adiala Jail.