Jailed ex-Pakistan PM Imran Khan's wife Bushra Bibi secures bail in over a dozen cases

Islamabad: Jailed former prime minister of Pakistan Imran Khan's wife Bushra Bibi on Tuesday secured interim bail in more than a dozen cases despite telling the court she has lost faith in the justice system of the country.

Anti-terrorism court Judge Tahir Abbas Supra, who presided over the hearing, granted Bushra interim bail until February 7 in 13 cases related to the D-Chowk protests apart from another case involving the killing of paramilitary rangers during the demonstration last year.

Apart from Bibi, her spouse Khan, 72, and other party leaders have been nominated in the first information report (FIR) registered at the Ramna police station under Section 302 (murder) and other sections of the Pakistan Penal Code.

According to the FIR, Khan issued instructions to the party leadership, spouse Bushra, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, and his sister Aleema Khan for making all-out efforts to get him released from jail and “set anything on fire or kill anyone for this purpose”.

Geo News reported the judge in a conversation with Bushra during the proceedings said: "It has taken some time, but legal protocols have been followed." Bushra said: "That is not an issue, but we have lost faith in the courts." Disagreeing, Judge Supra assured: "It is not like that everywhere. The justice system, despite its flaws, is functioning. If it collapses, society itself will cease to exist. You have appeared before me in other hearings as well."

Bushra further highlighted her concerns regarding the judicial process, recounting an instance during a trial where a judge's blood pressure rose to 200 yet he proceeded to pronounce a verdict against her.

"There is law in the country but no justice. The PTI founder is imprisoned for upholding the supremacy of the Constitution. What we have endured has completely shattered our faith in the law," she said.

The judge was informed that 13 cases were registered at various police stations in Islamabad against the former first lady.

The court subsequently granted her interim bail in all 13 cases until February 7 against surety bonds of Rs 5,000 each.

The bail is a major relief to Bushra who married the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder in January 2018, the year he won the election later on and became the prime minister.

Bushra, Khan's third wife, was his spiritual healer before marriage.