ISLAMABAD: An Islamabad court has granted bail to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the Toshakhana fake receipt case. Imran Khan was also granted bail Tuesday in five other cases, including those related to attempted murder and defamation of the army.
According to the FIR, Imran and Bushra are accused of committing fraud by presenting a fake receipt that falsely indicated the sale of gifts — such as watches and cufflinks — allegedly obtained from Toshakhana using forged signatures.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majuka observed that the prosecution failed to present evidence against Imran and his wife. The court approved their bail pleas against surety bonds of Rs50,000 each.
Judge Majuka granted bail to the PTI founder in five additional cases, subject to surety bonds of Rs50,000 each. In the case concerning defamation of the army, the court ruled that no material had been presented to prove that the petitioner had committed the offence.
According to the FIR, Manzoor Ahmad, a learned magistrate, along with his officials, was watching TV on a private news channel when Imran made allegations against army officers, claiming “they wanted to see him defeated and killed.” The petitioner allegedly defamed the army officers by using derogatory language, creating unrest in society, and reportedly used abusive language against the top army brass, the complainant in the FIR said.
Regarding the attempted murder case linked to protests, the court noted that the prosecution failed to prove that the demonstrations were organised under the direction of PTI founder, nor could it establish his presence at the scenes of protests.
In a related development, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued notices to the respondents, including the Adiala jail administration, in response to a petition seeking to transfer the PTI founder to Shifa Hospital for treatment.
The court, while removing objections against the PTI founder, directed the Registrar’s Office to fix a date for the hearing on March 10. The court also instructed that the central appeal against the sentence be scheduled for hearing next week.
A division bench comprising Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir and Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro heard the miscellaneous application filed by the PTI founder regarding the sentence in the Toshakhana criminal case, along with objections raised by the Registrar’s Office. The court removed the objections during the hearing.
The court asked why the central appeal should not be heard, to which Sardar Latif Khosa responded that the health of PTI founder was also a matter of concern. Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir remarked that both the appeal and the application would be heard, and a decision would be made on the appeal.
Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro noted that there were appeals from 2023, but the paper book was not ready. Sardar Latif Khosa requested that there should be no delay in the request for the transfer of PTI founder from jail to hospital, adding that he would apply the next day and that an order should be issued to allow a meeting with the PTI founder. Justice Arbab Tahir replied that the applicant had made this request in the miscellaneous application, and notices had been issued on it. It would take two to three days to prepare the paper book, and the central appeal was being scheduled for hearing next week. The court instructed the parties to come prepared for the next hearing.
