PHC halts Bushra Bibi's arrest

Allows Imran's wife till Nov 18 to appear in cases

PESHAWAR:

A two-member bench of the Peshawar High Court, comprising Justices Shakeel Ahmed and Sahibzada Asadullah, has issued an order prohibiting the arrest of Bushra Imran, wife of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan, in any previously registered case until November 18.

The court issued notices to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), as well as the federal and provincial governments, seeking details of cases registered against her.

During Bushra Bibi's appearance, the police attempted to prevent journalists from covering the event and even threatened them, while the courtroom doors were closed to the public.

At the hearing, Bushra Imran's lawyers, Qazi Muhammad Anwar and Alam Khan Adeenzai, appeared before the court on her behalf, while Advocate General Shah Faisal Utman Khail, Assistant Attorney General Rahat Ali Nahqi, and NAB Deputy Prosecutor General Muhammad Ali were also present.

Bushra Bibi's lawyers informed the court that she, the wife of PTI's founder, was recently released from Adiala Jail and now resides in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

They mentioned that cases may have been filed against her in Punjab and Islamabad, but they had no specific details. Since she wishes to appear in court and face the charges, they requested protective bail to prevent her arrest in any case.

Justice Sahibzada Asadullah questioned if they could request case details from other provinces, to which Qazi Muhammad Anwar Advocate responded that the Peshawar High Court had issued such notices in similar cases, directing the federal government to obtain case details from other provinces through the Ministry of Interior.

Bushra Bibi's lawyers also alleged that the federal government was attempting to harass her in various ways, and they feared that unlisted cases might lead to her possible arrest.

The court subsequently ordered a halt on her arrest in all cases until November 14 and demanded case details from the federal and provincial governments.

In a separate hearing before Chief Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, a single bench reviewed Bushra Imran's protective bail application. Her lawyer informed the court that since another bench had already ordered a halt to her arrest, the protective bail request was no longer needed and sought to withdraw it, which the court approved.

Meanwhile, Bushra Bibi's security team barred anyone from entering the courtroom and took on ther responsibility of her safety themselves, leading to an exchange of harsh words between journalists and personnel.

Journalists were also warned against recording videos, with threats to break their phones. Journalists protested, but court staff later intervened, allowing them to enter.

Missing persons petition dismissed

Meanwhile, the Peshawar High Court dismissed a writ petition for the recovery of four missing members of the Alkozai family from the upscale Hayatabad area after the petitioner requested to withdraw it. Chief Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim presided over the single-member bench for the case. Advocate Muhammad Nadir Shah appeared on behalf of the petitioner, Gulalai Alkozai, and informed the court that they wished to withdraw the case, as they had been informed that doing so might enable the safe recovery of the missing individuals. Consequently, the court dismissed the writ upon the petitioner's request.

It is noteworthy that four members of the Alkozai family were taken from their home in Hayatabad eight months ago. The family had filed a writ petition with the Peshawar High Court, alleging that the four family members were detained by individuals in police uniforms.