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

A Rawalpindi anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Tuesday discharged Bushra Bibi, the wife of jailed PTI founder Imran Khan, in 12 cases related to the May 9 violence that followed her husband’s arrest last year.

Countrywide protests erupted on May 9 last year after the paramilitary Rangers whisked away Imran from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in a corruption case. While the protests were underway, social media was flooded with footage of rioting and vandalism at various spots, including the Lahore Corps Commander’s residence and General Headquarters, the army’s head of office in Rawalpindi.

Last week, the ATC rejected petitions seeking post-arrest bail for Bushra, asking the police to complete the probe within seven days regarding the cases. Meanwhile, IHC Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb had referred to the IHC chief justice a petition seeking details of the cases against her.

While hearing the case against the former first lady today, Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Judge Malik Ejaz Asif discharged her in 12 cases related to the May 9 riots.

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.

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