IHC threatens to revoke Bushra Bibi's bail over absence

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday dismissed a plea by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) seeking to revoke the bail of Bushra Bibi, the wife of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, after she appeared in court for the hearing of jewellery set case.

Justice Mian Gul Hassan Aurangzeb, while delivering his remarks, stated that if a defendant fails to appear in court after being granted bail, the trial court could revoke the bail, Express News reported.

However, he clarified that such an action would not be considered contempt of court by the high court.

The FIA had approached the court, alleging that Bushra Bibi was misusing her bail privileges.

The agency argued that she had failed to appear in court multiple times, which, they claimed, amounted to abuse of the court’s trust.

During the hearing, Bushra Bibi’s lawyer, Barrister Salman Safdar, informed the court that his client was present and had not absented herself from previous hearings without valid reasons.

He explained that on several occasions, including October 23, court proceedings were not held due to security concerns, and on other occasions, the judge was unavailable due to holidays.

Justice Aurangzeb inquired whether the trial court had granted Bushra Bibi exemptions for her absences. Safdar confirmed that multiple exemptions had been granted, citing dates such as October 29, November 12, and November 14.

He also noted that Bushra Bibi had appeared in court on November 2 and November 8, while the proceedings for November 12 had been cancelled.

The court also heard that the FIA had raised concerns about the delay in proceedings, but Safdar emphasised that his client had complied with the court’s instructions when possible.

He added that on December 9, FIA provided statements related to the case under Section 161.

Despite the FIA’s request, the Islamabad High Court ruled that Bushra Bibi could continue to benefit from her bail, and dismissed the plea for revocation.

In the plea, the FIA had argued that Bushra Bibi was exploiting the legal process and using her bail for personal convenience, which led to the request for its cancellation.

Previously, IHC granted bail to Bushra Bibi in October.

The bail was approved by Justice Mian Gul Hassan Aurangzeb during a hearing, with Bushra Bibi required to submit a bond of Rs1 million.