ISLAMABAD: A judge granted interim bail to Bushra Bibi, wife of former prime minister Imran Khan, in four cases linked to the November 26 PTI protest.

The bail saved Ms Bush­­ra from immediate arrest in cases registered at Ramna and Tarnol police stations of Islamabad.

She appeared with her legal team before Additio­nal District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Shab­bir Bhatti on Thursday.

During the hearing, her lawyers filed pre-arrest bail applications in three cases registered at the Ramna and one at the Tarnol police station.

The court approved her int­e­r­im bail in all cases against su­­rety bonds of Rs50,000 in each case.

The judge also issued notices to the police and scheduled the next hearing on January 13.

The legal proceedings faced jurisdictional challenges when Ms Bushra’s lawyer requested the court to consider bail applications in cases registered under terrorism charges.

However, the court staff clarified that only the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) has jurisdiction over those cases.

“We approached the ATC, but the judge was unavailable due to judicial vacations,” stated Khalid Yousuf Chaudhry, Ms Bushra’s lawyer.

The court staff directed the lawyer to approach duty judges during these holidays.

Earlier in the day, Ms Bushra filed pre-arrest bail applications in an ATC in 13 terrorism cases. However, her efforts were hindered by the absence of the presiding judge.

Published in Dawn, December 27th, 2024