Lahore: Pakistan's imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan met his wife Bushra Bibi at the high-security Attock jail for the first time on Thursday after his conviction and arrest in a corruption case, his lawyer said. Lawyer Naeem Haider Panjutha said in a video message on X, formerly known as Twitter, that the one-to-one meeting between the 70-year-old Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman and his wife lasted for about half an hour.
"Bushra Bibi met for half an hour. Bushra Bibi said that Khan Sahib is completely fine but Khan Sahib is kept in Class C. The legal team was not allowed to meet despite the order of the High Court. We will take up the matter in the High Court tomorrow," he said. Bushra, 48, also faces corruption charges. The third spouse of Khan is a spiritual healer known for her devotion to Sufism, a form of Islamic mysticism which emphasises on love.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) gave her permission to meet Khan, said Panjuthaha, who was granted access by the jail authorities on Monday to meet Khan. After seeing the PTI chairman, he had said that the former premier was being kept in "distressing" conditions and provided C-Class jail facilities. Panjotha said Khan was in high morale despite all such difficulties and vowed to spend his lifetime in jail but would not bow to slavery.
The Attock prison in eastern Punjab province is infamous for its harsh conditions and its inmates include convicted militants. Khan has told his lawyers to take him out from the Attock jail as he does not want to remain in a small, isolated cell without air-conditioning that is infested with flies during the day and insects at night.
His party has approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and sought Khan's transfer from Attock prison to Adiala jail in the garrison city of Rawalpindi. Khan, the cricketer-turned-politician, was arrested on Saturday from his Lahore house shortly after an Islamabad trial court found him guilty of corrupt practices in the Toshakhana corruption case.
He was sentenced on charges of unlawfully selling state gifts acquired by him and his family during his 2018-2022 tenure. Khan has also been barred from politics for five years, preventing him from contesting an upcoming election. He has denied any wrongdoing. (PTI)
