The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has granted approval to the request of Bushra Bibi, former premier Imran Khan’s wife, to transfer from their Banigala residence, declared a sub-jail, to Adiala Jail, where her husband is currently imprisoned.
Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb delivered the reserved verdict on Wednesday, following last week’s reservation of the verdict on Bushra Bibi’s petition.
While the petition had been disposed of last month due to her lawyers’ absence, it was filed again the same day for restoration.
Bushra Bibi was taken into custody on January 31 after an Islamabad accountability court sentenced her and Imran to 14 years in jail in the Toshakhana reference. Although the IHC had suspended their sentences in the Toshakhana reference on April 1, she remains in custody in the Iddat case, while Imran is incarcerated in other cases.
After the Toshakhana verdict, Bushra surrendered to authorities at Adiala Jail, where the National Accountability Bureau’s team was present. However, she was later moved to her Banigala home after it was declared a sub-jail in a late-night notification. The decision to shift her to the residence had been under discussion for months, as both she and her husband denied submitting any application to declare the residence a sub-jail.
Nearly a week after her arrest, Bushra Bibi challenged the residence’s status as a sub-jail, requesting the IHC to allow her to serve her sentence in Adiala Jail.
In a subsequent hearing, the Adiala Jail administration opposed her transfer back to the prison, citing security concerns due to overcrowding.
In March, Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb had inquired whether authorities had sought Imran’s permission before converting his Banigala residence into a sub-jail.
