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An accountability court in Rawalpindi has adjourned the hearing of the 190 million reference against Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, till September 7, The Express Tribune reported.
The court proceedings, presided over by Judge Nasir Javed Rana, were held in Adiala Jail. During the hearing, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were present. During the hearing, the defence lawyer cross-examined the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) investigation officer, Mian Umar Nadeem, regarding the case, according to The Express Tribune report. The cross-examination in the case is expected to continue during the next hearing. The court said that the reserved verdict on the acquittal plea filed by Bushra Bibi will be announced alongside the final decision in the 190 million reference, The Express Tribune reported. Defence lawyers Usman Gul and Chaudhry Zaheer Abbas represented Imran Khan and his wife. NAB's Prosecutor General Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi, Amjad Pervez, and others appeared on behalf of the prosecution. Imran Khan, who served as Pakistan's Prime Minister from 2018 to 2022, has been incarcerated in Adiala Jail since August 2023 on multiple charges, including the Toshakhana case, the cypher case, and the unlawful marriage case.His wife Bushra Bibi has also been behind bars for months. On September 5, the PTI founder warned to call for street protests if the government tries to sabotage the independence of the judiciary. He said that he has not spent a single day at the prison hospital. He alleged that Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari were given air conditioned rooms with en-suite bathrooms when they were in prison. In a statement shared on X, Imran Khan said, "I have not spent a single day at the prison hospital. Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif, and Asif Zardari were given air conditioned rooms with en-suite bathrooms. One of the prisoners cooks for me, but I have never complained. Only three visits are allowed to meet with me in a week, whereas Nawaz Sharif met with forty people (when he was in jail). It was an open house for him." "Nawaz Sharif used to even talk to journalists in the privacy of his own room. I send the names of six of my party leaders every week, and only three are allowed to meet me for a mere thirty minutes. I have so many cases against me, and yet, I am only allowed to meet with six lawyers. I am kept in solitary confinement. I spend 21 hours of the day inside my prison cell. My cell heats up like an oven because of the weather, but I have never complained, never said I'm suffering. I have to go to a separate room to bathe. I have just one complaint, though. I am not allowed to speak with my children, although that is my legal right," he added. https://x.com/ImranKhanPTI/status/1831602040344113269 Rejecting the government's claims of providing five-star facilities to him, PTI founder stated that he has the same facilities as an inmate on death row. He said, "It feels as though a Martial Law administrator is in charge. Under which law are journalists not allowed to ask me questions? I am the leader of Pakistan's biggest political party. It is my legal and constitutional right to speak with members of the media in an open court." Khan said that his wife Bushra Bibi has been "unjustly imprisoned" for the past seven months and added that she is a housewife who never interfered in government's affairs. (ANI)
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