An accountability court in Rawalpindi extended on Monday the physical remand of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi by 10 days in a new Toshakhana case.
The couple was presented in their hearing in Adiala Jail upon the expiry of a previous extension in their remand. NAB requested the judge to grant an additional 14-day physical remand of the couple, but the judge instead extended their remand by 10 days and adjourned the next hearing till August 8. The judge also ordered that the investigation’s progress report be submitted in the next hearing.
The new Toshakhana case is the latest in a series of legal battles involving Imran Khan and his political party, PTI.
Khan, 71, has been imprisoned at the Adiala Jail for almost a year following his conviction in four cases, including two Toshakhana references. His sentences in the Toshakhana references were suspended, and he was also acquitted by the Islamabad High Court in the cipher case in June.
Despite being acquitted in several other cases, Khan and Bibi were recently re-arrested by the National Accountability Bureau in a new Toshakhana case, dashing their hopes of being released from prison.
In a media interaction, Khan’s sister Aleema condemned the legal proceedings against her brother and Bushra Bibi and stated that the individuals orchestrating such cases should themselves be in jail.
Aleema asserted that there were no valid cases against Khan and Bibi while the proceedings against Al-Qadir Trust are currently under way. She described the current situation as “unlawful” and in violation of the country’s Constitution.
She alleged that the government was essentially trying to “frame” them, despite the fact that there had already been a conviction in one of the cases. She alleged that the government was attempting to initiate new proceedings against the same case.
Furthermore, Aleema criticised the government’s tactics and claimed that the 10-day remand granted was solely to ensure that a conviction was secured against Al-Qadir Trust by the time the high court judges return from their break in September.
She alleged the government was pursuing “unlawful cases” in an effort to “deal with” Imran Khan, but emphasised that her brother would not be intimidated and would not be released from jail through such tactics.
