Pakistan ex-PM Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi back home after residence declared ‘sub-jail’
Imran Khan’s leak of secret cable hurt Pakistan, detailed court ruling says
ISLAMABAD: The wife of former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan — jailed alongside her husband Wednesday for 14 years for graft — is serving her sentence at home after their residence was officially declared a “sub-jail” by authorities.
Bushra Bibi, a faith healer who met Khan when he approached her for spiritual guidance, handed herself in to authorities on Wednesday shortly after the pair were sentenced in a case involving the sale of foreign gifts received while he was premier.
Khan, who was also sentenced to 10 years in jail on Tuesday in a separate case after being found guilty of leaking state secrets, remains at Adiala jail in Rawalpindi, where the trial was held.
The former international cricketer and his legal team have slammed the convictions and myriad other charges as a ploy by the military-led establishment to keep him from returning to power in elections next week.
Late Wednesday the government said Bibi had been transferred to her home on the outskirts of Islamabad from Adiala jail.
“The Chief Commissioner, Islamabad Capital Territory is pleased to declare the residence of convict Mst. Bushra Bibi... as Sub-Jail, as on 31-01-2024, till further orders,” read an order seen by AFP.
The Khan home - a rambling bungalow in a large compound surrounded by high concrete walls - is in the plush Bani Gala area of the capital.
Pakistan goes to the polls on February 8 in a ballot already marred by allegations of rigging, with Khan barred from running and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party subject to a massive crackdown.
Thousands of supporters were detained when riots broke out after Khan’s first arrest last year, with around 100 people awaiting trial in secretive military courts.
Meanwhile, a detailed court judgment issued on Thursday said Khan’s leaking of a secret diplomatic cable hurt the South Asian nation economically, politically and diplomatically, said.
“It is evident that Pakistan has faced serious economic, diplomatic and political consequences due to the offences committed by accused Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi,” the judgment said, adding, “which in turn weakened Pakistan’s economy, thus, adversely affecting national security.”
The judgment found Khan, 71, guilty of making public as well as mishandling, misusing, and tampering with a secret cable from Pakistan’s ambassador in Washington to the Islamabad government.
It found him guilty on four counts under the Official Secrets Act.