PHC bars Bushra's arrest till 23rd
Former first lady Bushra Bibi. PHOTO: FILE
The Peshawar High Court has restrained the arrest of Bushra Bibi, the wife of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Founder Imran Khan, till December 23 on a plea filed for transit bail. Meanwhile, the court declared the petition seeking details of cases registered against her ass admissible, and ordered assistance in determining its maintainability.
During the hearing, Justice S.M. Attique Shah addressed PTI's lawyer, stating, "You take protesters along, but leave them and run away. Has any of your ministers or assembly members been arrested? Do not make such statements before us; all citizens are equal in our eyes," he said.
A two-member bench comprising Justice SM Attique Shah and Justice Sahibzada Asadullah hear the petition seeking details of the cases. In addition, a single-member bench led by Justice Waqar Ahmad heard the petition for Bushra Bibi's transit bail.
On behalf of the petitioner, Advocate Alam Khan Adeenzai appeared before the court, while the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa advocate general represented the provincial government, and Additional Attorney General Sanaullah represented the federal government.
Advocate Adeenzai stated that additional cases had been registered against his client in Punjab after the D-Chowk protest, but they were unaware of the nature of these cases.
"Are you saying that FIRs have been registered, but you don't know the details?" Justice SM Attique Shah questioned.
He then directed the additional attorney general to present a report listing all registered FIRs, to which the latter promised to submit a report within two weeks.
During the hearing, Justice Sahibzada Asadullah asked whether Bushra Bibi had appeared in court in cases where bail was previously granted. The lawyer replied that after the November 24 protest, additional FIRs had been filed, including against members of the national and provincial assemblies.
Justice SM Attique Shah emphasised that all citizens are equal in the court's view, stating, "No minister or assembly member has been arrested. You take people along and then abandon them. All citizens deserve respect."
The petitioner's lawyer also mentioned that a separate application had been filed seeking details of the cases registered against his client, and the court had sought a report from the government.
The court inquired about the maintainability of the petition, and the lawyer requested time to assist. "We will give you not just a little time but hours to prepare; we will hear the case at the end," Justice Shah responded,
During the hearing of Bushra Bibi's transit bail application, the court was informed that 27 different petitions had been filed for bail in various cases.
The lawyer requested additional time for her to appear before the relevant courts, citing over 50 cases registered against her. However, the presiding judge remarked that extended time could not be granted due to the upcoming winter holidays. Subsequently, the court granted Bushra Bibi transit bail until December 23.
Case details of PTI Leaders
Meanwhile, two separate benches of the Peshawar High Court directed the federal government to provide details of cases registered against PTI leaders Aliya Hamza, Hamida Shah, Adil Bazai, and Ali Zaman within seven days.
Additionally, the court granted transit bail until December 23 to Provincial Minister Sohail Afridi, MNAs Iqbal Afridi, Sajid Khan, and Raja Basharat in their respective petitions.
On Tuesday, a bench comprising Justice SM Attique Shah and Justice Sahibzada Asadullah heard the petitions filed by PTI leaders Aliya Hamza, Hamida Shah, Adil Bazai, and Ali Zaman, seeking details of cases registered against them.
Advocate Alam Khan Adeenzai, representing the petitioners, requested the court to direct the relevant authorities to provide details of all cases against his clients. During the proceedings, Deputy Attorney General Sanaullah informed the court that after obtaining transit bail, the petitioners often fail to appear in the relevant courts.