Former First Lady Bushra Bibi petitions IHC to move her to Adiala jail from Bani Gala sub-jail

Bushra Bibi, wife of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, has contested the decision to confine her to her Bani Gala residence to serve a 14-year sentence in the Toshakhana case.

Last month, Bushra Bibi was placed under house arrest at her Islamabad residence after a court sentenced her and her husband to 14 years in prison in the Toshakhana case.

Authorities designated the Bani Gala residence as a "sub-jail" to confine the former first lady at the request of the superintendent of Adiala Jail.

Bushra and Khan were each given a 14-year jail term by the accountability court, which also disqualified the former prime minister from holding public office for 10 years and imposed a fine of Rs1.57 billion — Rs787 million each — on the couple.

In her petition, Bushra Bibi expressed her willingness to serve her sentence at the Adiala Jail, like other political workers of the party, rather than in the designated sub-jail at her residence.

Furthermore, she cited concerns about her safety, stating that she does not feel secure being confined alone in the premises of the sub-jail due to potential security issues.

Bushra Bibi highlighted that the preferential treatment given to her contradicts the principle of equality guaranteed under the Constitution and is therefore discriminatory.

She urged the court to revoke the notification declaring her house a sub-jail and to transfer her to Adiala Jail in the interest of justice.