Toshakhana gifts: IHC dismisses pleas challenging arrest of IK, Bushra

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) dismissed petitions challenging the arrest of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, in a second reference regarding Toshakhana gifts.

A division bench comprising Justice Miangul Hasan Aurangzeb and Justice Babar Sattar, on Wednesday, heard the petitions filed by Imran and his wife Bushra Bibi seeking directions to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to furnish details of all cases, FIRs, inquiries, detention orders, and notices against petitioner as well as to restrict respondents from arresting the petitioner in any newly registered case or inquiry.

The bench dismissed the petitions after declaring the same as “infructuous”.

During the hearing, the NAB prosecutor informed the court that the Toshakhana reference had been filed, whereas, Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi had the option to file a post-arrest bail petition.

Counsel for petitioner Salman Safdar argued that the court had already declared the call-up notices as “ambiguous” and that this was the second action being taken in the Toshakhana case.

The court inquired about the investigation and asked if the investigation officer (IO) had gone to Adiala Jail for investigation. At this, the IO replied that they had gone and received the answer to the questionnaire.

Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were arrested on July 13 in connection with a new NAB reference related to Toshakhana, shortly after their acquittal in the Iddat case. The NAB team, led by Deputy Director Mohsin Haroon, arrested the couple from Adiala Jail.

In this matter, earlier, the petitions against the arrest of PTI founder and Bushra Bibi in the new Toshakhana case were heard on July 25 by a two-member division bench comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Saman Raffat Imtiaz, however, lawyers of PTI founder asked IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq not to hear the case.

The lawyers said the PTI founder had filed a complaint against the IHC chief justice in the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), so now he should not hear the case and send the case to another bench.

Chief Justice Aamer Farooq rejected the request to leave the bench due to the filing of the reference and directed the lawyer to present his arguments.

Later, a new bench was formed to hear petitions against the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the Toshakhana case as Justice Saman Raffat Imtiaz went on summer vacation and she is not available to hear the case.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024