On Wednesday, the court in Pakistan approved a request from the wife of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Her lawyer stated that she requested to be transferred to prison instead of the soft confinement ordered by the government.
Bushra Bibi accused the authorities of violating her privacy and providing her contaminated food in the petition submitted to the Islamabad High Court, claiming that there were men in the room where she was confined. However, the staff confining her denied these allegations.
Since both she and Imran Khan were convicted in January for illegally selling national gifts, Bibi has been detained in a room at Imran Khan’s lavish home on the hills of Islamabad.
Bibi’s party and local government official Afzaal Ahmad stated that upon her lawyer’s request, she was to be transferred to Adyala prison in Rawalpindi, where the 70-year-old former cricket star Khan is serving a 14-year sentence.
Moving Bibi to prison was seen as a response to critics who claimed that her staying at home rather than in prison was part of a government concession deal.
Pakistani Army spokesperson Major General Ahmed Sharif stated on Tuesday that negotiations with a party involved in attacking national institutions are impossible. Referring to supporters of Khan’s party who attacked and set fire to military facilities on May 9 last year to protest Khan’s arrest, Sharif emphasized the need for seeking forgiveness before any negotiations.
Asad Qaisar, a close aide to Khan, told local ARY TV that any form of apology was out of the question.
Imran Khan was ousted in 2022, attributing it to a conspiracy backed by the military establishment as he had a falling out with powerful military generals.
The military has denied these allegations.
Former Prime Minister Khan was earlier sentenced to 10 years for leaking state secrets and, along with his wife Bibi, received a 14-year prison term for illegally selling foreign gifts earlier this year.