Imran Khan’s sister petitions Pak court seeking jailed Bushra Bibi’s medical examination

Islamabad: Jailed former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan’s sister has petitioned the Islamabad High Court seeking a medical examination of his wife Bushra Bibi, who is imprisoned at the embattled politician's private home here.

Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has alleged in a post on X that the former first lady was given “chemical-laced food over a week ago, which has burnt her throat and stomach”.

The party on Monday said Bushra, 49, is “unable to eat and is unwell”, adding that she has been “denied medical treatment” by the authorities.

“This was a malafide attack on Imran Khan’s wife by the illegitimate, fascist, authoritarian regime, in a futile attempt to pressurise Khan into submission,” the party claimed.

Khan’s sister, Uzma Khan petitioned the court to allow gastroenterologist Dr Asim Yousaf, medical director of Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital, to do the medical examination of Khan’s wife in the presence of the medical doctor of the jail. The hospital is run by a charitable organisation founded by Imran Khan.

The party also shared photos of the petition filed in the court which said, “It is further prayed that if it is advised by Dr Asim Yousaf, medical examination of Bushra Bibi is conducted in PIMS by the senior doctors in the presence of Dr Asim Yousaf.” Last week, PTI expressed concern about the health of Bushra Bibi and claimed that there was a "serious threat" to her life.

Bushra Bibi is incarcerated after an accountability court sentenced the couple to 14 years in jail in the Toshakhana corruption case last month.

Khan, 71, is lodged at the high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi. Both of them have been convicted with multiple years’ sentences in the Toshakhana expensive gift case and the iddat case which declared their marriage in 2018 as un-Islamic.

Bushra has already petitioned the Islamabad High Court on February 6 against authorities' move to declare her residence as sub-jail and requested to move her to the Adiala Jail citing “potential security issues”.

In the February 8 general elections, 92 independent candidates, backed by Khan’s party, had emerged victorious in the National Assembly.

On Monday, PTI announced that they would be joining the rightwing Sunni Ittehad Council, an alliance of Islamic political and religious parties in the Muslim-majority country which represents followers of the school of Sunni Islam.

The party had earlier decided that its members elected to the National Assembly and the Punjab provincial assembly would join Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM), a Shia party. Those elected in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) would become part of Jamaati-e-Islami (JI), which is a hardline Sunni religious party.

Khan's party, which could not directly take part in elections due to the non-allotment of the electoral symbol — cricket bat, wants its share of reserved seats for women and minorities by using the platform of other like-minded parties.