Bushra Bibi, the wife of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, is finally out of prison on bail after remaining behind bars for around nine months.
The release from Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail comes a day after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) granted her bail against surety bonds worth Rs1 million in the new Toshakhana case.
The former first lady was arrested after a court on January 31 convicted and sentenced the couple to 14 years in prison after finding them guilty of retaining and selling state gifts in violation of government rules (Toshakhana case) while Khan was in power.
Her release was expedited compared to the usual legal process, as typically, when a robkar (release order) is issued, the imprisoned person is released within two hours. However, Bushra Bibi was released in just 20 minutes.
While media personnel and PTI workers waited outside the prison to engage with Khan’s wife, the former first lady quickly departed without speaking to anyone. However, the workers showered her car with flowers as it sped away.
The IHC granted her bail on Wednesday, but due to the absence of a judge to sign the release order, she remained behind bars. Today, Judge Shahrukh Arjumand signed her robkar.
The former first lady was arrested in the said case along with her husband, who remains behind bars in the same facility, soon after their acquittal in the iddat case — also known as the un-Islamic nikah case.