Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi may face arrest months after her husband and the chief of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) political party was put behind bars after conviction in a corruption case and sentenced to three years in prison. The development comes ahead of gradually increasing decibels over election campaign towards National Elections scheduled for February 2024.
Bushra Bibi’s potential arrest: What happened?
According to reports in the Pakistani media, Pakistan government’s anti-corruption wing, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has summoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi and her close friend Farhat Shehzadi for questioning in the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case.
Bushra has been reportedly called for questioning in the case on Monday, Nov 13.
What is Al-Qadir Trust case about?
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife are accused of obtaining billions of rupees and hundreds of kanals of land for legalising 50 billion Pakistani Rupees. This amount was purportedly identified and returned to Pakistan by the United Kingdom during Imran Khan’s prime ministerial tenure.
Bushra Bibi has been accused to transferring money from the Al-Qadir Trust row to the members of her extended family. Reports in Pakistani media claim that Bushra Bibi allegedly put 14 billion rupees in over 100 bank accounts across Pakistan and West Asia.
What does it mean?
According to sources cited by Pakistan’s The News International publication, the National Accountability Bureau has received some new information that, if verified, will turn the 49-year-old from a “witness” to an “accused” and might get her arrested.
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Besides, Imran Khan himself is facing a number of legal cases, including incitement to violence and terrorism and a myriad of corruption charges. The charges were levelled shortly after Imran Khan was ousted from power following a no-confidence-vote in Pakistan’s National Assembly in April 2022.
Islamabad’s corridors of power dominated by the country’s powerful army-intelligence nexus dubbed as the establishment then propped up Shehbaz Sharif as the country’s prime minister. Brother of former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz made way for caretaker prime minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar on August 14, 2023.
(With inputs from agencies)
