File photo of Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi
Bushra Bibi, the wife of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, has written to the Punjab home secretary seeking the transfer of her husband to Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail after expressing fears that he “can be poisoned” at Attock Jail.
In her letter, the former first lady notes that the trial court that convicted Khan for corrupt practices had ordered for his detention at Adiala Jail. “My husband has been imprisoned in Attock Jail without any justification. According to the law, my husband should be transferred to Adiala Jail,” she claimed, adding that the prison lacked ‘B-class’ facilities that her husband was entitled to.
Referring to his social and political status, Bushra wrote that as an “Oxford graduate and former captain of the national cricket team,” the former prime minister should be granted ‘B-class’ facilities. She also reiterated claims that there had been two assassination attempts on Khan’s life over the past year, adding no suspects had as yet been arrested. Khan, it might be recalled, has alleged that the would-be assassin arrested after he opened fire on the PTI’s long march in Wazirabad was acting on “orders.”
Stressing that Khan’s life was still in danger, Bushra maintained that fears persisted that her “husband will be poisoned in Attock Jail.” She also noted as a former prime minister, Khan was entitled to home-cooked meals.
Referring to the jail manual, Bushra said all facilities Khan was entitled to should have been provided to him within 48 hours of his incarceration, but were still pending despite the passage of 12 days since he was arrested. “According to the jail rules, my husband has the right to undergo a medical examination by a private doctor,” she said, and demanded an inquiry into why her husband had been denied his entitled facilities.
Bushra’s letter echoes similar concerns voiced by both Khan’s lawyer, Naeem Haider Panjutha, and the PTI’s Core Committee. Speaking with media after meeting the PTI chief, Panjutha alleged his client was being kept in ‘C-class’ facilities despite being entitled to ‘B-class’ or higher based on his status as a former prime minister and the standard of his life he was accustomed to. The PTI Core Committee, meanwhile, last week alleged Khan could be “slow-poisoned” and demanded he be allowed food and water from his home.
The PTI chief was imprisoned earlier this month after a trial court in Islamabad sentenced him to three years’ imprisonment after finding him guilty of “corrupt practices” over mis-declaring proceeds obtained through the sale of gifts he retained from the Toshakhana while prime minister. The criminal conviction also bars from him from holding public office for five years.