ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, have approached the Islamabad High Court to challenge their arrests in the Toshakhana case.
The petitions, filed through Barristers Salman Safdar and Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry, assert that the arrests are politically motivated and lack legal justification. The petitioners argue that the federal and Punjab governments are using fake cases for political retribution, aiming to keep Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi in custody.
According to the petitions, the arrests were made while notices summoning the accused were still under judicial consideration, indicating malintent. They claim that political opponents are exploiting the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for vendetta, despite higher court rulings that mere nomination in a case does not warrant immediate arrest.
The petitions request the court to declare the arrests unlawful and order the immediate release of both individuals. Furthermore, they seek a directive that future arrests in any case should be contingent on the Islamabad High Court’s approval.
Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi’s legal team has named the NAB Chairman, NAB Director General, and other officials as respondents in the case. They emphasize that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi have cooperated with investigations, making their arrests unnecessary. The petitions highlight that the arrests contravene high court orders and are a clear example of bad faith actions by their political adversaries.
The court has been urged to issue orders preventing governmental institutions from arresting the PTI founder and his wife without judicial authorization in the future, ensuring protection from politically motivated actions.
