The Islamabad High Court has ordered to transfer PTI founder Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi from sub-jail at her residence in Banigala to Adiala Jail, where her husband is also imprisoned. Pronouncing its reserved verdict on Wednesday, IHC’s Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb approving Bushra Bibi’s request also declared null and void Islamabad administration’s notification regarding declaring Imran Khan’s Banigala residence as a sub-jail. The IHC had reserved its verdict on Bushra Bibi’s petition last week. Soon after the IHC’s verdict, the former first lady was shifted to Adiala jail from the Banigala sub-jail. Bushra Bibi was sent to jail on January 31 after an accountability court in Islamabad had sentenced her and Imran Khan to 14 years in prison in the Toshakhana case. While the IHC had on April 1 had suspended their sentences in the Toshakhana reference, she remained in custody in the Iddat case. Following the Toshakhana verdict, Bushra had arrived at Adiala Jail, where she was taken into custody by a NAB team. However, she was moved to her Banigala residence after it was declared a sub-jail in a late-night notification.

Her shifting to the residence had been under debate for weeks as she and her husband had denied submitting any application to declare the residence a sub-jail. Almost a week after her arrest, Bushra Bibi had challenged the residence’s status as a sub-jail, urging the IHC to let her complete her 14-year sentence in Adiala Jail. The wife of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder had said the “special treatment” meted out to her went against the spirit of equality guaranteed under the Constitution and was consequently discriminatory. In view of the stated reasons, the petitioner had pleaded with the court to set aside the notification to declare her house sub-jail and shift her to Adiala jail in the “interest of justice”. The Adiala Jail administration had opposed moving her back to the prison, claiming that overcrowding posed security threats for Bushra Bibi. In March, Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb had asked if the authorities sought permission from Imran Khan before converting his Banigala residence into a sub-jail.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan