Islamabad, Pakistan – On Thursday, hundreds gathered outside Bani Gala, the lavish mansion on the outskirts of Islamabad, to welcome Bushra Bibi, the wife of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, after her release from jail following nine months of incarceration.
Bibi, who was arrested in January, was granted bail on Wednesday in connection with a case involving the illegal sale of state gifts.
She made her way from Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi in a convoy of cars, with supporters showering her vehicle with flowers.
In January, Bibi and Khan were each sentenced to 14 years in prison after being found guilty of selling state gifts valued at over 140 million rupees ($501,000), which they received during Khan’s time as Prime Minister from 2018 to 2022, from the Toshakhana, or state treasury.
Additionally, the couple faced a separate conviction regarding the legality of their marriage, but they were acquitted in July. Shortly afterward, authorities initiated another Toshakhana case involving a jewelry set gifted to Bibi by the Saudi crown prince. The National Accountability Bureau has alleged that Khan and Bibi unlawfully retained the set and later sold it for over $350,000.
Despite his wife’s release, Khan, a former cricketer and philanthropist, remains in jail, denying all charges against him. He claims that the government and the “establishment” are waging a targeted campaign to keep him incarcerated.
