ATC discharges Bushra Bibi in 12 cases related to May 9 incidents

ATC discharges Bushra Bibi in 12 cases related to May 9 incidents

Rawalpindi (Web Desk): An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Tuesday discharged Bushra Bibi, the wife of incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former premier PTI founder Imran Khan, in 12 cases related to the May 9 violence that followed her husband’s arrest last year.

ATC Judge Malik Ejaz Asif of the presided over the hearing held at Adiala Jail, where the Rawalpindi police had requested the physical remand of Bushra Bibi for further investigation into the May 9 riots.

Following the careful consideration, the court rejected the police's plea and discharged Bushra Bibi from all related cases.

Bushra Bibi's legal counsel, Barrister Salman Safdar, expressed his satisfaction with the ATC's decision to discharge her from the cases related to May 9 events.

On Monday, ATC rejected petitions seeking post-arrest bail for Bushra, asking the police to complete the probe within seven days.

While speaking to the media outside Adiala jail, Bushra’s lawyer Salman Safdar said that the Rawalpindi police had requested the courts for a physical remand, however, the court rejected the request.

He further mentioned that the Rawalpindi police had requested physical remand for Bushra Bibi, which the court rejected, leading to her discharge from all the cases.

He said that the prosecution had presented three statements to the court, alleging Bushra Bibi's involvement in the May 9 incidents.

"The court rightly questioned why there had been silence for over a year and three months since the events of May 9," Safdar remarked.

He added that that the court dismissed the validity of statements made by co-accused individuals, emphasising that they held no weight in the case against Bushra Bibi.

Salman Safdar said that the decision made by the court today was likely to affect the cases of the PTI founder.