Pakistan: Islamabad Court Indicts Imran Khan, Wife Bushra Bibi In New Toshakhana Case

A special court in Islamabad on Thursday indicted former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, in the new Toshakhana case, as reported by Geo News. The hearing, presided over by Special Judge Shahrukh Arjumand, took place at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, where charges were framed against the couple.

The case was initially filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), but following amendments to the NAB laws, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) took over the investigation and filed its challan in September. Both Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi have been granted bail in the case.

While Imran Khan remains in custody due to other pending cases, Bushra Bibi is out on bail. The couple is accused of causing a loss to the national exchequer through the illegal sale of gifts from the Toshakhana, and they were arrested in the case on July 13, the same day they were acquitted in the iddat case.

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In a separate development, an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Rawalpindi last week indicted Imran Khan and several other Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders in connection with the May 9 attack on the General Headquarters (GHQ) in 2023, The Express Tribune reported. The attack occurred during protests triggered by Imran Khan’s arrest. ATC Judge Amjad Ali Shah conducted the hearing at a makeshift court at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.

More than 100 individuals, including PTI leaders such as Omar Ayub, Sheikh Rashid Shafiq, Sheikh Rashid, Raja Basharat, Zartaj Gul, and others, were indicted in the case. After the judge’s decision, opposition leader Omar Ayub was arrested, and Punjab’s former law minister Raja Basharat was taken into custody immediately after leaving the jail. The case was adjourned until December 10.

Several PTI leaders, including Sadaqat Abbasi, Musarrat Jamshed Cheema, Mohammad Ahmed Chatha, and others, attended the hearing at Adiala Jail. The court had summoned all the accused in the GHQ attack case, and formal charges are expected to be brought against 120 individuals, including Imran Khan. The court also ordered former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who is incarcerated in Lahore Jail, to appear before the court.

Arrest warrants were issued for PTI leaders including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, Shibli Faraz, Shireen Mazari, Zartaj Gul, Zain Qureshi, and Taiba Raja. Additionally, arrest warrants were issued for 45 absconding accused, with the court warning that legal action would be taken to declare them fugitives if they failed to appear.

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