IHC to hear Imran's gifts case bail plea on 4th

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has removed the objections raised by its registrar office to the post arrest bail application of former prime minister Imran Khan in the second gift repository case. The IHC will hear the bail application on Monday.

A single-member bench of the IHC comprising Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb on Friday heard the application along with the objections.

During the hearing, Justice Aurangzeb addressed Imran's counsel Ayesha Khalid stating that she talked about the rule of consistency but there is a difference in the cases of Imran and his wife. He said the court granted bail to Imran's wife Bushra Bibi in the case on the grounds that Bushra is a woman.

He said he rejected a similar bail application the other day.

The judge noted that the registrar has also highlighted the fact that the power of attorney in the case was signed in July but the bail application was submitted in November.

The court asked Shah Khawar Advocate to assist the court on the question. Khawar stated that it is a routine practice to have powers of attorney signed during a meeting with a prisoner.

The court later removed the objections raised by the registrar's office and directed that the case be scheduled for Monday. When Shahina Shahab, another counsel for the PTI founder, requested the issuance of notices on the application, Justice Aurangzeb said the law would be followed.

On October 23, an IHC bench comprising Justice Aurangzeb granted bail to Bushra Bibi in the gift-repository case. During the hearing, Justice Aurangzeb had remarked that the case against Bushra was similar to Justice Qazi Faez Isa's reference.

"In the Isa case, the husband [Isa] was held responsible for the actions of his wife, and in this case, a wife [Bushra] is held accountable for the deeds of her husband [Imran]," he said.