ISLAMABAD: Imran Khan, founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and his wife, Bushra Bibi, have been arrested by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in a new reference related to the Toshakhana case. This development comes mere hours after their acquittal in the Iddat case on Saturday.
The NAB team, led by Deputy Director Mohsin Haroon, arrested the couple from Adiala Jail. The team also recorded initial statements from Khan and Bushra Bibi concerning the Toshakhana case.
This latest arrest follows the Islamabad district and sessions court’s decision to accept appeals filed by Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi, leading to their acquittal in the Iddat case. Earlier this year, the couple had been sentenced to seven years in prison and fined Rs500,000 each after a trial court found their nikah to be fraudulent.
The acquittal in the Iddat case removes the last legal obstacle preventing Khan’s release from jail, particularly after his sentences in the Toshakhana cases were suspended and his acquittal by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in the cipher case. However, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) had dismissed pre-arrest bail petitions for Khan in three cases related to the May 9 riots, including one concerning an attack on the Lahore corps commander’s residence.
Sources indicated that a team from the Lahore police, led by the Superintendent of Police (SP), has arrived at Adiala Jail to interrogate Imran Khan regarding the May 9 riots. The police team, with permission from the ATC in Rawalpindi, is set to conduct the investigation and will arrest PTI leaders and workers once their probe is complete. Notably, Khan’s arrest was not declared in the May 9, 2023, riot cases.
Regarding their marriage, Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi wed in February 2018 in a ceremony attended by close family and friends but notably excluded Khan’s sisters. The nikah was performed by Mufti Saeed, with PTI’s Awn Chaudhary and Zulfi Bukhari as witnesses. Last year, Khawar Maneka, Bushra Bibi’s former husband, challenged the marriage, claiming it was illegal and against Sharia law, accusing them of marrying during the iddat period and fornication.
This new arrest in the Toshakhana reference adds to the legal challenges faced by the former prime minister and his wife, further complicating their legal battles.
