Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi face 15-day judicial remand in new Toshakhana case as ordered by an accountability court. The hearing, held at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, was presided over by Accountability Court Judge Nasir Javed Rana, who also directed that the couple be presented in court on September 2, 2024.
The couple appeared in court after completing a 10-day physical remand, which had been granted on August 8, 2024. During the hearing, they submitted written responses to a National Accountability Bureau (NAB) questionnaire. Their legal defense was led by Zaheer Abbas Chaudhary and Salman Safdar, while NAB’s case was presented by Deputy Director Mohsen Haroon and Special Prosecutor Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi.
The new Toshakhana reference emerged after NAB arrested the couple hours after they were acquitted in the iddat case, also known as the un-Islamic nikah case. This case was the final obstacle to their release from jail. The couple was rearrested at Adiala Jail by a NAB team led by Deputy Director Mohsin Haroon, under allegations of “misuse of power for acquiring Toshakhana gifts.”
Bushra Bibi was rearrested after her release from Adiala Jail’s Gate No. 3 to fulfill legal obligations, and she will remain incarcerated at the Rawalpindi prison. The NAB had confirmed earlier this year that a new reference against Imran Khan was being prepared, related to Toshakhana gifts retained by him after paying a nominal amount.
Previously, an accountability court judge had refused to extend Imran Khan’s physical remand when NAB filed the Toshakhana reference in December 2023. Following their arrest, Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC), claiming that their remand was illegal and violated their fundamental rights.
On August 16, the IHC directed the NAB investigating officer to obtain the couple’s responses to its questionnaire at Adiala Jail and adjourned the hearing until August 21, 2024. IHC’s Justice Miangul Hassan emphasized that NAB must justify the arrest of the PTI founder.
