Bushra Bibi, wife of former prime minister Imran Khan, was released from Adiala Jail on Thursday, nine months after she was imprisoned alongside him in the runup to elections. She reached her Bani Gala residence in Islamabad soon afterwards, but later she changed her plans for staying in the federal capital.

Special Judge (central) Shahrukh Arjumand issued the release orders after Bibi’s lawyers submitted a surety bond worth Rs1 million to the court.

In the days before the February polls, Bibi was convicted of graft and illegal marriage alongside opposition leader Khan in what he claimed was a campaign to sideline him from the vote.

“She was kept in jail to put pressure on Imran Khan,” Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Gohar Ali Khan told reporters.

“I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all PTI supporters on the release of Bushra Bibi, and we offer our gratitude to God.”

Following the election, the illegal marriage case collapsed on appeal and Bibi’s graft sentence was suspended.

The Islamabad High Court granted bail to the former first lady in the new Toshakhana case on Wednesday. Her release was delayed due to the unavailability of the special judge to issue the release order.

PTI lawyers spent Wednesday attempting to submit the surety bonds and secure her release, but the court adjourned before the process could be completed.

Attempts to obtain the release order from Administrative Judge Raja Jawad Abbas were also unsuccessful as he had already left for the day.

Gohar said that after her release Bibi was headed home to the upscale Bani Gala neighbourhood on the outskirts of the capital Islamabad.

Sources within the party told Aaj News that, she changed her plans for staying in the federal capital and would travel to Peshawar on the PTI leadership recommendation.

A faith healer who has rarely been seen in public, Bibi wedded Khan shortly before he was elected in 2018 after becoming his spiritual guide.

She was arrested on January 31 – one week before Pakistan went to the polls. The charges against her in the illegal marriage case sparked uproar both among PTI supporters and wider society.

“The cases brought against her were not only false and unjust, but also petty and morally questionable,” PTI supporter Aqsa Qasim, who was waiting outside the residence, told AFP.

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“It’s been a long time since we received any good news, but today we are here to welcome the wife of our leader, who was unjustly imprisoned.”

Former cricket star Khan served as prime minister from 2018 to 2022, when he was ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence vote.

As opposition leader, 72-year-old Khan led an unprecedented campaign of defiance before becoming tangled in slews of court cases he claims have been orchestrated to prevent his return to power.

Despite that, candidates loyal to PTI secured more seats than any other party in the February elections – which were marred by allegations of vote tampering.

After the Supreme Court’s decision, former prime minister Imran Khan has sought acquittal in the National Accountability Bureau cases against him.

Earlier this week, the apex court rejected Khan’s plea to declare the NAB amendments null and void while approving intra-court appeals from federal and provincial governments, thereby reinstating the NAB amendments.

The detailed ruling stated that Khan could not satisfactorily convince the court regarding the invalidation of the NAB amendments. Following this decision, Barrister Gohar Ali, representing Khan, pointed out that the ruling afforded two key benefits: Firstly, that the Toshakhana case against his client could not proceed, and secondly, the £190 million case was outside the jurisdiction of the accountability court.

The hearing for the £190 million case against Khan took place on Saturday (today) at the Adiala Jail, where both he and Bushra Bibi appeared before the accountability court.

Khan’s lawyers submitted a copy of the Supreme Court’s decision regarding the NAB amendments to the accountability court.

He stated that the case does not hold any validity following the NAB amendments, which provide protection for all cabinet decisions.

Khan’s lawyer raised the question of whether the accountability court has jurisdiction over the case after the NAB amendments. The NAB prosecutor responded that if the court has jurisdiction in the case, then the request for acquittal could be considered.

In response, Khan’s lawyer stated that they have not challenged the court’s jurisdiction, emphasising that it was up to the court to determine its jurisdiction.

The court has issued notices to the parties involved regarding the acquittal request and has postponed the hearing of the case until September 10.

Businessman Umar Farooq Zahoor has filed a defamation notice against a Norwegian publication for publishing an article suggesting he was nominated for the Hilal-e-Imtiaz for his role in the Toshakhana case against Imran Khan.

According to a report in The News, Zahoor has sued Verdens Gang (VG) tabloid and its reporter Rolf John Wideroe, accusing them of Islamophobia, racism and xenophobia.

The article in VG has quoted a report in the Express Tribune to say that Zahoor was being awarded the honor for ‘exposing’ the Toshakhan case.

Zahoor had appeared on a TV interview in 2022 to claim that he had bought a Graff watch from Imran Khan that had been gifted by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. Khan was later sentenced to jail in the case.

However, Zahoor has claimed in his lawsuit that he was actually nominated for the Hilal-e-Imtiaz for bringing ‘hundreds of millions of dollars’ in foreign investment.

The VG article claimed that Zahoor is wanted in Norway for a fraud involving Nordea bank of ‘around NOK 60 million’ in 2010. The article quoted Norway’s State Attorney Carl Graff Hartmann as saying that Norway has tried to arrest Zahoor for a long time.

However, Zahoor claimed that the he cooperated with authorities in good faith and the investigation has already been closed. Zahoor has claimed that he has letters from Norwegian authorities from 2020 and 2021 proving that the case is closed.

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Finally, the tabloid article reported that Equitorial Guinea President Obiang Nguema Mbasogo awarded a medal to Zahoor last year.

Calling, Mbasogo one of the most corrupt presidents in the world, the tabloid VG said that Zahoor was awarded the medal for bringing investment into the country. The article added that Zahoor ahd been involved in a scandal involving sale of gas turbines.

However, Zahoor’s lawsuit says that the article tried to falsely link the award he received in Guinea to the award he has been nominated for in Pakistan and tried to claim that the first award is somehow linked to President Mbasogo’s alleged corruption.

Stating that Zahoor has an ‘impeccable reputation’, the case asks VG to “immediately withdraw your article published against our client and publish an official apology” for “defaming our client through misreporting and distorting facts” or face civil and criminal action.

Zahoor is set to be awarded the Hilal-e-Imtiaz on March 23, next year.

A heated exchange took place between NAB Prosecutor General Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi and former prime minister Imran Khan during the hearing of the second Toshakhana reference in the special accountability court in Rawalpindi on Monday.

As the case hearing began, Bushra Bibi also joined her husband on the rostrum.

While conversing with the judge, Bushra said that she had left her decision to Allah and asked the judge “if he could not see what the national-graft buster was doing.” She alleged that continuous injustice was being done to them as NAB was “filing one false case after another.”

At this point, the PTI chief said that his wife had no connection with the state gifts and questioned why she was being allegedly punished. “I was the prime minister, but my wife was not in any public office.”

Khan said: “NAB officials are corrupt. Give them money and they will say whatever you want.” This enraged the NAB prosecutor, leading to a bitter exchange of words between the two.

“Don’t get personal with me, let’s discuss the case. I have never talked about your personal life,” Abbas said.

Abbasi then challenged Khan and asked him if he could buy a complete dinner and tea set from Raja Bazar for Rs30,000. “Did Mohammed bin Salman gift you a Rs30,000 rupee dinner set and tea set?”

Abbasi said: “You are standing on the wrong side of the court.”

After this heated exchange, the court adjourned the hearing. Upon resumption, the PTI chief apologised to Abbasi, which the NAB prosecutor accepted.

An accountability court in Islamabad on Monday extended the physical remand of former prime minister Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi for seven days in a new Toshakhana case.

They were brought in court after completion of their eight-day physical remand.

The NAB investigation officer submitted the investigation report and sought a further 14-day remand of the couple.

Judge Muhammad Ali Warraich at the Adiala Jail extended the physical remand of the former PM and his spouse by an additional seven days. The next hearing is scheduled for July 29.

Meanwhile, the Islamabad High Court removed the objections of registrar office on a petition against the arrest of Khan and his wife in the Toshakhana case.

The court instructed the office to fix the case again for hearing.

A two-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Saman Raffat Imtiaz heard the case along with the objections of the registrar office. The further hearing of the case was then adjourned till July 25.

Khan has been imprisoned at the Adiala Jail for almost a year, facing convictions in four cases, including two Toshakhana references, the cipher case, and the Iddat case, in which his wife, Bushra Bibi, is also jailed.

An Islamabad district and sessions court had recently accepted the appeals filed by Khan and his spouse against their conviction in the Iddat case.

The latest extension of the physical remand in the new Toshakhana case underscores the ongoing legal battles faced by the former Prime Minister and his wife, as they navigate the complex legal landscape surrounding the various allegations and cases brought against them.

NAB had secured an eight-day remand of Khan in the Toshakhana case on July 14. Adding to his legal woes, the Lahore police had also “arrested” Imran Khan in connection with a dozen cases, including the attack on the Corps Commander House, placing him under a 10-day physical remand for investigation in the May 9 cases.

Amid these multiple legal proceedings, the couple petitioned the Islamabad High Court on Thursday against their remand in the Toshakhana case.

A National Accountability Bureau (NAB) team has interrogated former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the new Toshakhana case for the fourth time. The team interrogated the accused in a new case regarding Toshakhana gifts.

The NAB investigative team, led by Deputy Director Mohsin Haroon, visited Adiala Jail and interrogated Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi.

The NAB team entered the jail through Gate 5 and interviewed Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi for the fourth time about the Toshakhana gifts.

This new Toshakhana reference involves the approval for the jail trial of Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi, and the issuance of a notification regarding the same. The investigation is ongoing.

During the investigation, some questions were asked about the jewelry sets received as gifts.

The NAB investigative team questioned former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi for about an hour.

NAB has obtained an eight-day physical remand of the suspects from the accountability court, and the suspects will be presented in court again on July 22 with a progress report on the investigation.

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This action was performed after the acquittal in the Aurat Marches case on July 13, NAB had arrested Imran Khan and his wife in the new Toshakhana reference.

Haron had arrested Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi in Adiala Jail. According to NAB’s inquiry report, the new case is related to the illegal possession and sale of 10 precious gifts, including 7 watches.

The federal government had issued a notification for the jail trial of Imran Khan and his wife in the new Toshakhana reference, under Section 16-B of the NAB Ordinance 1999. It stated that if the NAB court deems it necessary, considering the law and order situation, it can conduct the trial of Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi in jail.

The lawyers of the former Prime Minister and the former First Lady were informed about the jail trial notification.

Former prime minister Imran Khan urged on Sunday the accountability court judge to release his wife Bushra Bibi in the new state gifts case against them as his legal battles continue.

Hopes for the release of Khan and Bibi were dashed on Saturday when the national-graft buster arrested them in a state gifts reference hours after a court acquitted both in the unlawful marriage case. Khan is accused of illegally acquiring and selling 74 watches as the prime minister, according to the inquiry report.

The former prime minister has long denied such accusations against him and accused the security establishment of cases against him.

The jail trial notification has been issued under Section 16B of the NAB Ordinance 1999. The notification states that the accountability court may conduct the trial of the accused persons in jail if deemed necessary in view of the law and order situation.

At the outset of the hearing, Khan told accountability court judge Muhammad Ali Warraich that he would walk out if media persons were not allowed in the courtroom. On his insistence, the court ordered reporters should be allowed in the courtroom and the hearing started.

“Me and my wife have no link to the Toshakhana,” Khan told the judge when the hearing resumed. “I have read the Quran four times in jail and Allah has placed a great responsibility on the judges.”

He claimed that his wife was being jailed only to inflict him pain.

“There is no difference between NAB Chairman and prostitutes,” Khan said while accusing the anti-graft body’s chief of compromising with his conscience.

Without naming the individual, Khan claimed that his wife was being “targeted” by the “king”. He said: “I removed him from the post of Inter-Services Intelligence chief and my wife did not make any recommendation for that.”

The former premier urged the judge to imprison him and free his wife. “You are answerable to Allah, not the ISI,” Khan told the judge.

Khan alleged that accountability court judge Mohammad Bashir, who convicted Khan and his spouse Bibi in the Toshakhana case, had made a decision under duress. He also claimed that a former prime minister was informed about a new case at midnight, right before a new case was to be heard in the morning.

The PTI founder accused the National Accountability Bureau officials of being “robots” who can be made to do anything by paying them salaries.

In a previous reference case where he was convicted, Khan said the jewellery set worth Rs180 million that was in their possession was later shown to be worth over Rs3 billion.

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He said that the re-arrest of his wife was a grave injustice and that earlier officials like Aftab Sultan had resigned because they were pressured to make such “wrong decisions.”

According to Khan, a new case was “fabricated” against him because the authorities found that the jewellery set from the previous case was still in their possession. Khan and Bibi were seated together during the court hearing.

Later, the court sent them to jail on an eight-day physical remand in the case.

A local court in Islamabad announced a key verdict on the petitions filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi seeking suspension of their sentences in the Iddat case. The judge rejected the plea dashing any hope of Imran Khan’s immediate release.

The PTI has said it will challenge the verdict before the high court.

Imran Khan has been behind bars since last August after being sentenced in the Toshakhana case and subsequently in other cases before the February 8 elections.

But he won bail in the 190 million pound reference and acquittal in the Toshakhana case and the cipher case. He was also granted bail in May 9 cases. His conviction in the Iddat case was the only case for the government to keep him in jail and if the judge had ruled in his favour, he could have walked out of prison on Thursday.

However, Additional Sessions Judge Afzal Majoka rejected the plea and upheld the sentences. The judge later issued a 10-page judgment.

Judge Majoka is yet to hear the full appeals against the convictions in the case. The pleas he rejected were only limited to seeking suspension of the sentences. The full appeals seek overturning of the February judgement.

Before the court announced its verdict, security was beefed up outside the Adiala jail where Imran Khan is being held.

A group of PTI activists gathered outside the court and chanted slogans demanding the release of Imran Khan.

PTI’s Omar Ayub said the party would challenge the verdict before the Islamabad High Court. He said it was a private matter of a man and wife but it was used a political weapon against a political leader.

Iddat case

The district court had sentenced the PTI founder and Bushra Bibi to 7 years imprisonment in February this year after Khwar Manika, Bushra’s former husband, filed a case.

Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi filed apeals and judge Shah Rukh Arjumand reserved the verdict May 23.

However, in light of Khwar Manika’s repeated expression of no confidence, the Islamabad High Court transferred the case to the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Mujoka on the request of Judge Arjumand.

Following the High Court’s directive to decide on the suspension of sentences within 10 days, the District and Sessions Court reserved its verdict on the petitions filed by Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi against their sentence on June 25.

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Incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan is unlikely to untangle his legal battles soon as an inquiry report has revealed that another Toshakhana case – involving the sale of state gifts – was registered against him.

In the new case, he is accused of illegally acquiring and selling at least seven luxury watches, retaining and selling 10 valuable gifts, diamond and gold sets, in violation of the rules.

According to the report, the gifts were “routinely sold” without properly declaring them as per the law. The expensive Graff watch set was also allegedly sold without “retention”.

The report alleged collusion between a private property valuation person and the buyer of the Graff watch as the former drastically underpriced it by Rs30 million, causing a loss to the national exchequer. The Graff watch was valued at more than Rs100 million, but only Rs20 million was deposited with the government – just 20% of the actual value.

The report emphasised that all gifts must be properly declared and deposited with Toshakhana first, as per the rules. Gifts worth up to Rs30,000 can be retained, but anything above that has to be deposited.

The National Accountability Bureau is investigating the new Toshakhana case against the former prime minister.

The Toshakhana is a department under the Cabinet Division that stores gifts given to rulers and government officials by heads of other governments and foreign dignitaries. According to Toshakhana rules, gifts/presents and other such materials received by persons to whom these rules apply shall be reported to the Cabinet Division.

The country’s top electoral authority’s order had said Imran stood disqualified under Article 63(1)(p) of the Constitution.

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“He is for the time being disqualified from being elected or chosen as a member of the Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament) or of a Provincial Assembly under any law for the time being in force,” said the law which falls under the Disqualifications for membership of Majlis-e-Shoora (Parliament).

Last month, the Islamabad High Court suspended the 14-year sentences handed out to Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the Toshakhana reference.

Imran and Bushra Bibi were sentenced in the reference by an Islamabad accountability court on January 31, days before the general elections. According to the verdict, Imran and Bushra were barred from holding any public office for 10 years and slapped with a fine of Rs787 million each.

Bushra Bibi, the wife of former prime minister Imran Khan, filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court on Thursday to challenge a call-up notice issued by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in connection with a fresh inquiry related to the Toshakhana case–related to state gifts.

The petition has been scheduled for hearing today (Thursday) before a two-member bench headed by IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq. Bushra’s legal team has requested the court to suspend the NAB call-up notice until a decision is reached on the petition.

Earlier, the NAB Rawalpindi summoned Imran Khan on April 16 in relation to the above mentioned case.

The respondents named in the petition include the NAB chairman, NAB deputy director, and superintendent of Adiala Jail.

Imran Khan was accused of selling state gifts on the market to make money. He was entitled to retain gifts from Toshakhana —a state repository where all the gifts received by government officials are deposited before they could take them home after completing the due process — but not to sell them on the market to make a profit, claims the Election Commission of Pakistan, which filed a petition against the former prime minister accusing him of “corrupt practice.”

Last month, the Islamabad High Court suspended the 14-year sentences handed out to Khan and his wife Bushra in the Toshakhana reference.

The high court also ordered the former prime minister and former first lady to be released from prison in the case.

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Khan and Bushra had been sentenced to 14 years in prison in the Toshakhana case earlier this year. The PTI founder has been tangled in more than 200 legal cases since he was ousted in April 2022, in what he said was a campaign to keep him from power.

Khan, 71, remains jailed on two other cases including treason and illegal marriage with sentences stretching up to a decade.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has initiated a fresh inquiry into the Toshakhana case, issuing call-up notices to the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Bushra Bibi, Aaj News learnt on Wednesday.

NAB Rawalpindi has sent a letter to the Deputy Superintendent of Adiala Jail, requesting their presence for the investigation. The notices, issued by NAB, require both individuals to appear before the bureau on April 16th, sources told Aaj News.

This development signifies a renewed focus on the Toshakhana case, which revolves around allegations of misappropriation of gifts received from foreign dignitaries.

Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi have already faced two separted cases invovling the Toshakhana or state gift repository. The couple was setenced to 14 year prison terms in one of the cases, but the Islamabad High Court suspended the sentences in April.

The sentences were announced in January 2024.

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar refuted on Sunday incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan’s allegations against the senior military leadership related to the Toshakhana case under which he was jailed for 14 years before elections. The sentence was last week suspended by the high court.

“Totally false, fabricated and baseless allegations without any proof or evidence,” the minister said in a post on social media platform X. “[Imran Khan] and his spouse have both been involved in the Toshakhana heist, audios have proven the level of involvement in corruption and embezzlement.”

His reaction rebuttal comes after the former premier alleged that the senior military leadership “implicated” him and his wife Bushra Bibi in the state gifts reference.

On Saturday, a post on Khan’s account on X shared the transcript of his conversation with reporters at Adiala Jail. The founder of PTI claimed that the senior military leadership was “driving the state affairs”.

He reiterated that it was part of the “London Plan” and alleged that his sentence was “plotted with the nexus” of the incumbent army chief and former premier Nawaz Sharif. He claimed that judges who heard his case were appointed by the Inter-Services Intelligence.

According to Tarar, such statements were a result of “a state of panic and despair”. Without naming the PTI, he slammed the party for attacks on the state institutions and sensitive installations on May 9 following Khan’s arrest in the graft case.

“Attacks on state institutions like the one on May 9 and running disrespectful campaigns against martyrs have been his policy,” he said, “truth cannot be concealed through propaganda and blatant lies”.

The information minister added that Khan was in a “state of panic” at the Adiala jail.

The transcript of the talk also claimed that some PTI leaders were still in contact with the military establishment.

Former PTI leader Ali Zaidi “was also in contact”, it said. Khan said: “I will not accept anyone’s slavery and would prefer death over it,” the ex-prime minister said.

While referring to the six IHC judges’ letter, Khan said: “The judges are revealing that intelligence agency operatives are blatantly threatening them.”

The Islamabad High Court suspended on Monday the 14-year sentences handed out to former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the Toshakhana reference–related to state gifts.

The high court also ordered the former prime minister and former first lady to be released from prison in the case. IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq remarked that the appeals in the case will be taken up after Eid.

The two will not be released as they have been convicted in other cases.

Khan and Bushra had been sentenced to 14 years in prison in the Toshakhana case earlier this year.

Khan has been tangled in more than 200 legal cases since he was ousted in April 2022, in what he said was a campaign to keep him from power.

Khan, 71, remains jailed on two other cases including treason and illegal marriage with sentences stretching up to a decade.

A spokesman for his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said the Islamabad High Court dropped the pair’s sentences from an anti-corruption court over selling state gifts, with an appeal against their convictions pending.

The trial court gave “limited counsel access but also had reached the decision in haste without allowing defence to conclude arguments”, spokesman Ahmed Janjua said.

Khan was already jailed and barred from standing for office when he was hit by a trio of sentences in the days before Pakistan’s February 8 general elections.

His wife Bushra Bibi was also sentenced over graft and a marriage the courts said came too quickly after her divorce, in breach of Islamic law.

Analysts said it was a bid to seal the sidelining of the former prime minister and his PTI party from the poll, which was marred by widespread allegations of rigging both before and after the vote.

Despite a crackdown of arrests and censorship, candidates loyal to Khan won more seats than any other party but fell far short of the majority needed to govern.

A coalition of parties with close ties to Pakistan’s powerful military establishment has taken power, headed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

Khan was boosted to power with the support of the top brass in 2018 but was forced from office by a no-confidence vote four years later after a dramatic falling out.

As an opposition leader he waged a campaign of defiance against the military, making incendiary claims they conspired with the US to oust him and plotted an assassination bid which wounded him.

Analysts say the military – which has ruled Pakistan directly for decades of its history and continues to wield immense power behind the scenes – attempted to shut him out of civilian politics in retaliation.

Last week, six top judges from the Islamabad High Court accused spy agencies – the most powerful of which is run by the military – of coercing them over cases including one relating to Khan.

The government has pledged to investigate complaints by the magistrates, who have alleged they were intimidated and surveilled by intelligence officers.

Former First Lady Bushra Bibi on Tuesday filed a petition before the Islamabad High Court seeking to set aside the order of declaring Imran Khan’s Bani Gala residence as a sub-jail to serve her sentence in the Toshakhana case.

In her petition, Bushra said that she arrived at the prison facility to surrender following her conviction in the Toshakhana case on January 31.

Khan and Bibi were handed a 14-year sentence in the Toshakhana case which accused them both of illegally selling state gifts. The judge also banned them both from holding political office for 10 years.

Soon after the verdict, Bushra arrived at the Adiala jail, however, she was not kept at the prison where her husband had been incarcerated.

“The petitioner [Bushra] was kept in the waiting room from 10AM till 9PM on 31.01.2024. After 9PM, the petitioner was informed that she had to be shifted to another prison to serve her sentence, however, she was brought to her residence at Bani Gala,” the filing read.

The former first lady denied having requested to designate her residence as a sub-jail.

She said that she does not feel safe being confined alone in the premises of her house due to potential security issues.

“While the petitioner is in good health, however, there has been a movement of unidentified people in her house declared as a sub-jail by the government thereby contributing to her sense of insecurity,” the petition added.

Former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi misused their position and power vested in the Office of the Prime Minister, the court judgement on the state gifts said.

“It is proved beyond doubt that both the accused persons in connivance with each other by way of illegal means, including the position and power vested in the Office of the Prime Minister obtained monetary gain amounting to Rs1,573.72 million,” the 23-page judgement said.

Khan and Bibi were handed a 14-year sentence in the case, known as Toshakhana, which accused them both of illegally selling state gifts. The judge also banned them both from holding political office for 10 years.

The judge had denied Khan’s lawyers’ request to cross-examine witnesses in the trial and his lawyers were not present on Wednesday when the sentence was given.

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The decision authored by accountability judge Muhammad Bashir said their misuse of power caused a loss to the national exchequer and “fraudulently misappropriated” property for “personal gain and violated” the Procedure For the Acceptance and Disposal of Gifts 2018, read with the Rules of Business 1973.

The Supreme Court has formed a three-member to hear the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s plea seeking the restoration of the bat symbol ahead of the general elections scheduled to take place on February 8.

A three-member bench led by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa would hear the case on Wednesday (tomorrow). Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Musarrat Hilali are the other two members of the bench.

Earlier, the former ruling party had approached the apex court against the Peshawar High Court’s decision to restore the Election Commission of Pakistan’s December 22 order which had deemed the PTI’s intra-party polls “unconstitutional” and revoked the party’s ‘bat’ electoral symbol.

But it was not fixed for hearing. On Monday, the SC fixed the PTI’s plea for the restoration of its ‘bat’ electoral symbol for hearing on January 10.

PTI’s Barrister Gohar Khan while challenging the decision in the court stated that the ECP’s petition was inadmissible. He had urged the SC to nullify the PHC order.

The petitioner had stated that the PTI was being discriminated against by the ECP and alleged that the electoral symbol was “snatched” without making any decision. He added that the high court did not view the facts in its decision.

Imran Khan, wife Bushra Bibi indicted in Toshakhana case

The Accountability Court in Islamabad indicted on Tuesday former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the Toshakhana reference.

They were indicted during a hearing of the case presided over by accountability judge Muhammad Bashir at the Adiala Jail. He read out loud the charges framed against them.

But the accused persons denied the charges.

The court adjourned the hearing till Jan 11 and directed the National Accountability Bureau to produce the witnesses in the case at the next proceedings.

Moreover, the court judge also rejected Khan’s post-arrest bails in both the Toshakhana and £190 million references.

The case alleged that Khan and Bibi obtained billions of rupees and land worth hundreds of kanals from Bahria Town Ltd for legalising Rs50 billion. The amount was identified and returned to the country by the UK during the previous PTI government.

According to the charge sheet, Khan and Bibi received as many as 108 gifts from different heads of state while in power. It added that they kept 58 valuable gifts – out of the 108.

Bibi allegedly kept 58 gifts worth around Rs140 million. It added that the PTI founder kept the jewellery set received from the Saudi crown prince after paying a very small amount to the national exchequer.

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Moreover, the national graft buster would present around 20 witnesses against the two accused. Soheib Abbasi, the assessor of the gift, would appear as a witness. The list of witnesses also includes an approver.

On Monday, the court froze the assets of Malik Riaz and others in the £190 million case.

PHC heard PTI’s plea for six hours

The Peshawar High Court heard on Tuesday the PTI’s plea against the December 22 decision of the ECP for six hours where the former ruling party and the polls overseer completed their arguments.

A two member bench of the PHC comprising Justice Ijaz Anwar and Justice Arshad Ali herd the case.

At a moment in the case, PTI’s Barrister Ali Zafar contended that the ECP was just a “record keeper” and did not have the power to strip a political party of its electoral symbol.

The court while giving time to other respondents adjourned the hearing till Wednesday (tomorrow).

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested by the National Accountability Bureau in the Toshakhana case on Wednesday after an accountability court refused to renew his bail in the case.

Judge Muhammad Bashir presided over the case’s hearing in Adiala Jail on Monday where the decision was reserved before being announced around 8pm.

The judge ruled that prima facie, there were illegal practices involved in the receiving of Toshakhana gifts.

The court’s order added that NAB would request Khan’s remand in the case but he would not be handed over to the Bureau’s custody and will instead remain in jail. The order added that all investigation will also be done in jail.

NAB’s Deputy Prosecutor General Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi confirmed that the court will be requested to provide a physical remand for Khan.

Meanwhile, Bushra Begum’s bail in the same case was extended till December 20.

Khan’s lawyer Naeem Haider Panjutha said that it was a mockery that the decision had been announced at 8 in the evening.

Proceedings in the £190 million case were adjourned till December 20 as well.

The National Accountability Bureau on Friday summoned the former prime minister’s wife Bushra Bibi on December 11 in the Toshakhana case.

In a final call-up notice to Bushra Bibi, the anti-graft body directed her to appear before the NAB Rawalpindi office located in Islamabad on Monday, December 11.

The notice said that proceedings have revealed that during her husband Imran Khan’s tenure in the office of the Prime Minister of Pakistan, she received gifts from foreign dignitaries amounting to millions of rupees and retained these gifts.

As per the notice, Bushra Bibi retained one locket with a chain, a pair of ear tops, two rings, and a pair of bracelets in 2019.

In 2020, she kept one necklace, one bracelet, one ring, and a pair of earrings in 2020, it said.

The anti-graft body said that Khan’s wife received one necklace with chain, one pair of earrings, a ring, and a wristwatch in 2021.

The PTI was in disarray on Tuesday after one of its senior leaders claimed that party chairman Imran Khan won’t contest the intra-party elections, which have to be held within 20 days as per the ECP order. But the former ruling party denied it.

All of this started after PTI’s Senior Vice President Sher Afzal Marwat’s media talk outside the Adiala Jail.

“Khan sahib himself has decided that he will not contest the polls for the office of PTI chairman,” he said and added that the decision was taken with consensus because of the legal restrictions and impending disqualification in the Toshakhana case.

Marwat said the decision would be reversed as soon as the disqualification was set aside. The statement led to speculations over the future of Khan as the party chairman.

But the former ruling party, without naming Marwar, denied its senior leader and the speculations made in the media.

“Discussions are ongoing on all the important issues regarding the holding of intra-party elections,” it said, adding that no decision has been taken to withdraw Khan from the intra-party election or to nominate any other leader.

The party added that as soon as the leadership reached a conclusion on all the important issues, including the holding of intra-party elections, the date and procedure, and the selection of candidates, the details would be released.

But Marwat stuck to his statement as he described the party’s statement as a “paradox”. The senior vice president added that whatever he said in his media talk about the intra-party poll was “correct”.

He supported his statement by saying that the decisions were taken by the PTI chairman in the presence of Senator Ali Zafar, Barrister Gohar Umair Niazi, and himself.

“I fail to understand who is behind the contradiction and why the misleading statement was issued. The media are advised to verify my statement with the above persons if you don’t mind,” he said.

He further posted on X, erstwhile Twitter, that no member of the Khan family would contest intra-party elections for any office of the party.

While talking to Aaj News, PTI leader Shoaib Shaheen termed such developments as an “attempt” to create disarray in the party.

He quoted the party’s official statement to support his argument, saying that a Toshakhan case was fixed for hearing in the court on Wednesday in which he was convicted. He went on to add that on the basis of which there was a dispute of disqualification.

The ECP has been sent a notice on this that the order was yet to be suspended. “If that order is suspended tomorrow [Wednesday], then there is no constitutional restriction on Imran Khan,” he said and added that the party would make a plan for the future in the light of the decision.

Shaheen was of the view that the party has 20 days to make a decision and lamented the issuance of such statements before the case.

The Islamabad High Court will hear Imran Khan’s appeal in the Toshakhana case on Friday.

Khan’s lawyers had filed a petition asking for the matter to be fixed urgently for hearing after which the IHC scheduled it with objections. Chief Justice Aamer Farooq will hear the case.

The former prime minister had maintained that he had requested the court to withdraw his appeal filed in 2022 but the matter was still pending.

The decision in the case was reserved on September 13 but has not been announced despite the lapse of two months and 10 days, the petition says.

The Election Commission of Pakistan had announced a decision against Imran Khan on October 21, 2022. After initially filing an appeal, the PTI chief had filed a request to withdraw his appeal in the IHC against the decision on January 18.

The Ministry of Law and Justice on Tuesday issued a notification to conduct the jail trial of PTI Chief Imran Khan in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case.

According to the notification, the accountability court will hold a jail trial of the former minister inside Adiala jail.

The ministry issued the notification after the federal government gave a nod to the jail trial of the PTI chief.

A day earlier, a team of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrived at the Adiala jail and arrested Khan inside the jail. He is now in the custody of the NAB court while in the prison facility.

The arrest came after an accountability court in Islamabad issued arrest warrants for Khan in the Toshakhana case and the Al-Qadir Trust case.

Judge Mohammad Bashir conducted the hearing on the two cases where the anti-graft body had filed an application seeking Khan’s arrest warrants.

Earlier today, the Islamabad High Court issued a stay order against the jail trial of Imran Khan in the cypher case till November 16.

A two-member bench of Justice Mian Gul Hassan Aurangzeb and Justice Saman Raffat announced the decision on Tuesday. The decision was announced while a hearing of the cypher trial was underway in Adiala Jail.

An accountability court in Islamabad on Monday issued arrest warrants for PTI Chief Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case and the £190 million case.

Judge Mohammad Bashir conducted the hearing on the two cases where the National Accountability Bureau had filed an application seeking Khan’s arrest warrants.

Judge Bashir approved the issuance of the warrants while directing the jail superintendent to take measures to ensure the warrants were complied with.

Later, a team of NAB arrived at the Adiala jail and arrested him inside the jail. Khan is now in the custody of the NAB court while in the prison facility.

The NAB team also asked questions from the PTI chief regarding the Al-Qadir Trust case.

Earlier, sources had said that the NAB decided to immediately arrest Khan after the issuance of his arrest warrants.

The anti-graft body is likely to arrest the PTI chief today from Adiala jail where a team including investigation officers of the Bureau will arrive to ensure compliance with the warrants, they added.

Earlier today, former First Lady Bushra Begum was summoned by the NAB in £190 million case and as per media reports her arrest could be on the cards.

Bushra was summoned at 2pm in the NAB office in G-6 in Islamabad. Farhat Shahzadi, a former close aide of Bushra, has also been summoned in the same case today.

The former prime minister is currently being held in Adiala jail after his arrest from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore on August 5.

He was moved to the prison on September 26 from Attock jail where he was initially kept after his arrest.

An accountability court suspended Nawaz Sharif’s perpetual warrants in the Toshakhana case on Thursday.

Judge Muhammad Bashir announced the decision shortly after it was reserved on Thursday morning.

Nawaz’s perpetual warrants have been suspended to allow him to surrender in the court. However, the judge ruled that the warrants would be restored if the former PM did not appear for proceedings.

Advocate Qazi Misbah appeared in Judge Muhammad Bashir’s court on Thursday morning and said that the Nawaz wished to face cases in court. He added that Nawaz is set to return to October 21 so the warrants should be suspended till October 24.

National Accountability Bureau Prosecutor Sohail Arif told the court that he had no objection if the accused wanted to surrender in court.

However, the judge remarked that the perpetual warrants were issued in October 2020 and asked Nawaz’s lawyers why he had not appeared in court since then.

The lawyer replied that Nawaz had left the country on medical grounds and his petition was still pending in the Lahore High Court.

The judge then reserved the decision on suspension of warrants. Eventually he announced that the warrants would be suspended till October 24.

The PTI Chief Imran Khan has filed a contempt of court plea against the Attock jail superintendent for failing to make arrangements to talk to his sons over the phone.

Khan’s lawyer Shiraz Ahmed Ranjha filed the plea at the Islamabad High Court on Monday to summon the jail superintendent in person.

In his plea, Ranjha said that the arrangements were not made to allow the former prime minister to talk to his sons despite court orders. The court had directed the jail authorities to make such arraignments which were not fulfilled, he added.

Ranjha pleaded before the court to allow Khan to speak to his sons over telephone and WhatsApp.

Read: Real reason behind court decision to pause Khan’s sentence

On August 31, a special allowed Khan to talk to his sons over the phone and directed the Attock jail superintendent to make arrangements in this regard.

Imran, through his lawyers Umair Niazi and Shiraz Ahmed, had approached the special court to seek permission to talk to his sons.

The PTI chief is being kept at Attock jail after an anti-terrorism court ordered the jail authorities on August 29 to keep the PTI chief in judicial lockup.

“That accused Imran Khan is hereby ordered for judicial remand,” said an official statement from the special court established to hear the cases filed under the Official Secrets Act. The statement was issued by anti-terrorism court in Islamabad judge Abulhasnat Zulqarnain.

The statement was issued moments after the Islamabad High Court suspended his three-year sentence in the Toshakhana criminal case.

Bushra Bibi, the former first lady and wife of PTI chief Imran Khan, was interrogated for over four hours on Thursday when she appeared before a team of the National Accountability Bureau in Rawalpindi to record her statement in the Toshakhana case.

In a call-up notice, Bibi was to appear before the combined investigation team of NAB Rawalpindi to record the statement with answers to questions already dispatched to her in the state gifts case.

The former first lady was present in the NAB office for four and a half hours where she was asked several questions.

“Moreover, you are directed to produce the state gifts retained by you before the CIT along with complete details/record of all retained state gifts and detailed record of their sale,” the call-up notice sent to Bushra Bibi stated.

The details of the gifts that were given in the call-up notice showed one locket with chain, pair of ear tops, two rings, pair of bracelet, a necklace (gold & diamond), one bracelet (gold and diamond), one ring (gold and diamond), pair of earrings (gold and diamond), one necklace with chain, 1xpair of earrings, and ring & bracelet watch.

The call-up notice stated that gifted state assets received by her were not deposited in Toshakhana for fair price assessment in contravention of rules/producers.