'Spicy food' caused 'mouth ulcers' to Bushra Bibi

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawyer Naeem Haider Panjutha has claimed that the party founder Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi’s “health worsened and she got mouth ulcers after she was given a spicy meal” during her house arrest at Bani Gala.

The former first lady was put under house arrest at her husband’s Islamabad mansion, which was declared “sub-jail” at the request of the Adiala jail superintendent last month following her conviction in the infamous Toshakhana case.

Khan’s lawyer Panjutha, speaking to journalists after meeting the party founder’s wife, reiterated that Bushra’s life was in “extreme danger”, and claimed that the high court also expressed concerns over her medical reports.

“Bushra Bibi’s health worsened after she was given a spicy meal,” the lawyer said, adding that the former first lady was unable to eat breakfast as the spicy food caused mouth ulcers.

He complained that they also filed a petition to the high court to transfer her to the Adiala Jail citing threats to her life, but no progress was made in this regard. Panjutha added that authorities concerned keeping Bushra in jail on the pretext of security concerns.

The lawyer reiterated the demand to transfer the former first lady to Adiala Jail from the Bani Gala mansion.

Another PTI lawyer, Senator Ali Zafar alleged that cases had been filed against Bushra Bibi just to humiliate the PTI founder. He also demanded to shift the former first lady back to Adiala Jail.

Zafar said a PTI legal team would also submit a petition tomorrow to allow her to meet her husband at the jail.

Sher Afzal Khan Marwat, the PTI senior vice president, repeated the same allegations and said, “Bushra Bibi is being served substandard meals and she was confined to one room.”

He also alleged that the Adiala jail superintendent had also misbehaved with the incarcerated PTI founder. Marwat announced to file a contempt of court petition against the jail superintendent tomorrow.

Authorities had declared the Bani Gala residence a "sub-jail" to confine the former first lady at the request of the Adiala jail superintendent. Bushra and Khan were awarded a 14-year jail term, each, when accountability court's Judge Muhammad Bashir announced the verdict in a case related to the illegal sale of state gifts.