Daily Times

Bushra Bibi, the wife of former prime minister Imran Khan, has voiced concerns about the possibility of her husband being “poisoned” while he is incarcerated at District Jail Attock, it emerged on Friday. In a letter dated August 17, addressed to the Punjab home secretary, Imran’s wife sought the ex-PM’s transfer from District Jail Attock to Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail and expressed fear he could be poisoned in lock-up. According to the letter, the life of the ex-prime minister was in danger as “he was previously attacked twice whereby once he was hit by bullets shots (sic) on his body.” “Moreover it is apprehended that he may be poisoned in the jail through food as the ones responsible and perpetrators of previous attacks are still at large and have not been captured by the law enforcement agencies,” Bushra feared.

She questioned her husband’s detention at Attock jail, citing the lack of apparent justification. The letter highlighted that Imran was eligible for B-Class facilities within the jail premises due to several reasons. These reasons encompass his “leadership as the former captain of Pakistan’s national cricket team, his distinguished status as an alumnus of Oxford University in the UK, and his past role as the prime minister of Pakistan”. She pointed out that it was against the jail rules to “keep the person of my husband’s stature at a place which lacks even the very basic amenities”. Bushra wrote that her husband was not even being allowed homemade food “which is against the rules and in violation of fundamental rights”.

“It was duty of the jail authorities to provide him all the facilities within 48 hours but even after lapse of 12 days no facility whatsoever has been provided which is disgrace to the leader of the largest political party,” she added. She asserted that there exist ample grounds to accord Imran the B-Class facilities as outlined in the rules. “An exhaustive legal inquiry be undertaken to elucidate the legality of his current detention within your jurisdiction,” she appealed to the provincial home secretary. Among other requests, the politician’s spouse said her husband be promptly provided with “B-Class facilities,” the option to have home-cooked food, and the opportunity to consult his “personal physician”.