A Rawalpindi accountability court has extended the physical remand of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, by 10 days in the Toshakhana case.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) presented the couple before the court following the expiration of their previous seven-day remand and submitted a progress report on the newly filed case to the judge.
NAB Prosecutor General Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi and the investigative deputy director of the case, Mohsin Haroon, attended the hearing. During the proceedings, the defense lawyer, Salman Safdar, opposed the extension in remand sought by the anti-graft body.
The hearing also witnessed a heated exchange between the incarcerated former prime minister and the NAB prosecutor general. Imran Khan protested, “My wife has no links with the Toshakhana; why is she being punished?” He emphasized that Bushra Bibi wasn’t a public office holder during his tenure as prime minister and accused NAB officials of corruption.
Abbasi took offense at Khan’s remarks and cautioned him not to make personal attacks, focusing instead on the case at hand. The prosecutor challenged Khan to purchase a complete dinner and tea set for Rs30,000 from Rawalpindi’s Raja Bazar, referencing the state gifts Khan had received from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Following a break, the court resumed the proceedings, during which Imran Khan apologized to Abbasi for his remarks. Abbasi accepted the apology. After completing the arguments, the court adjourned the proceedings until August 8, instructing the NAB team to present Imran and Bushra at the next hearing.
The 71-year-old PTI founding chairman has been in prison for almost a year, facing multiple charges, including the Toshakhana, cipher, and un-Islamic marriage cases. Bushra Bibi has also been incarcerated for months. Although a court suspended Khan’s sentence in the Toshakhana case and other courts overturned his convictions in the cipher and iddat cases, hopes for their release were dashed when NAB arrested them on fresh charges related to the sale of state gifts.
The chances of Imran Khan’s release further diminished after he was arrested in new cases linked to the May 9, 2023, riots, following his acquittal in the iddat case.
