Bushra’s plea dismissed as withdrawn

Challenge to arrest in third Toshakhana case rejected

LAHORE:

Lahore High Court Justice Shahbaz Ali Rizvi dismissed as withdrawn a plea filed by Bushra Bibi, wife of PTI founding chairman Imran Khan, challenging her arrest in a third Toshakhana case.

The plea also sought action against the superintendent of Adiala Jail and female staff for alleged mistreatment during her arrest, which occurred instead of her release following acquittal in the Iddat case.

The Registrar's office raised an objection, stating that the Lahore High Court was not the appropriate forum for the plea.

Senior lawyer Sardar Latif Khan Khosa represented Bushra Bibi, who also requested the court declare her arrest illegal and halt any further inquiries, investigations, references, FIRs, or detention orders related to the Toshakhana case.

In her petition, Bushra Bibi named as respondents the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Punjab, Superintendent of Adiala Jail Rawalpindi, the Punjab government through the Home Secretary, and the Federation of Pakistan through the Interior Secretary.

She alleged that she was physically assaulted, manhandled, and pushed by female jail staff during her rearrest, despite having no connection to the new case.

Bushra Bibi contended that her sentence in the Toshakhana case had been suspended, she had been granted bail in the Al-Qadir Trust case, and was acquitted in the Iddat case on July 13.

However, instead of being released, she was rearrested within the Adiala Jail premises in another allegedly fabricated Toshakhana case. She argued that this was a violation of the judgment of acquittal rendered by the additional district judge of Islamabad.

The petition further claimed that Bushra Bibi was subjected to humiliation and physical assault by uniformed female jail employees, even though no warrant for her arrest was presented.

She argued that her arrest was a violation of Section 17(d) of the National Accountability Ordinance 1999. Bushra Bibi asserted her right to be informed of the charges against her and claimed that her arrest was conducted in violation of the law.