Islamabad, Pakistan – Hundreds of people gathered outside Bani Gala, the palatial mansion on the outskirts of Islamabad, on Thursday to welcome Bushra Bibi, the wife of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, following her release from jail after nine months.
Bibi, arrested in January, was granted bail on Wednesday in a case related to the illegal sale of state gifts.
He traveled from Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi in a convoy of cars, and his supporters showered flowers on his vehicle.
Bibi and Khan were initially sentenced in January to 14 years in prison after being found guilty of selling state gifts worth more than 140 million rupees ($501,000), received during Khan's term as prime minister, 2018-2022, of the Toshakhana, or state treasury. .
The couple was also convicted separately in a case questioning the legality of their marriage, but were acquitted in July. Shortly after, authorities filed an additional Toshakhana case, this time involving a set of jewelry that the Saudi crown prince gave to Bibi. The National Accountability Bureau has alleged that Khan and Bibi illegally kept the device and then sold it for more than $350,000.
Khan, a former cricketer and philanthropist, remains in prison and has denied all charges against him, accusing the government and the “establishment” of a targeted campaign to keep him incarcerated.
The “establishment” in Pakistan is a euphemism for the country's powerful security forces, which have ruled directly for nearly 30 years and maintain political influence even under civilian governments.
Bibi's release comes the same week that Pakistan's parliament passed a controversial constitutional amendment, giving the legislature more power to appoint top judges, among other changes. Khan's political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), opposed the amendments and organized protests across the country.
PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan dismissed rumors of a deal with authorities to secure Bibi's release in exchange for supporting the amendment.
“If we had to reach an agreement with them, Bibi would not have been behind bars for nine months, or Khan would not have been behind bars for 16 months. They kept her in prison just to put pressure on Khan, but God willing, now he will be released soon and it will be done on legal merit, not through any agreement,” he told reporters outside Adiala prison in Rawalpindi.
Khan, arrested in August last year, faces more than 150 cases, including charges of corruption, incitement to violence, sedition and leaking state secrets since his removal in April 2022 through a no-confidence vote.
Naeem Haider Panjutha, a member of Khan's legal team, echoed Gohar Ali Khan's optimism about the potential for imminent relief for Imran Khan.
“They faced the same charges, so there is no reason for Khan to remain behind bars in this case. He has no outstanding convictions and although some cases related to May 9 remain, we are hopeful of securing bail and his release,” Panjutha told Al Jazeera.
Khan was briefly detained on May 9 last year, sparking nationwide protests by PTI supporters. The demonstrations intensified: state buildings and military installations were attacked, leading to many arrests, although only about 100 faced military trials.
PTI's Sayed Zulfi Bukhari, a close aide of Khan, also expressed optimism that the former prime minister could be released soon.
“He is illegally imprisoned as is his wife. “This release has nothing to do with any agreement, but is due to the perseverance of his lawyers in court, and we will do the same with Imran Khan, in addition to taking to the streets in protest of his release.” Bukhari told Al Jazeera.
However, political analyst Zaigham Khan suggested that Bibi's release could have been “politically calculated” to stoke tensions within the PTI.
While Khan, the undisputed leader of the PTI, is behind bars, other leaders representing subgroups or factions have been fighting for influence.
“There is a power center in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, led by Prime Minister Ali Amin Gandapur. Then there is another faction that admires the normal secretary of the party, Salman Akram Raja,” Zaigham Khan said.
However, “Bibi is very powerful in her own right and Khan trusts her completely. Many in the party will naturally gravitate towards her,” the analyst told Al Jazeera, noting that Imran Khan's two sisters, who have been jailed since October following protests against the constitutional amendment, also lead a group close to Khan.
Analysts were also unconvinced that the government's granting of bail to Bibi presaged Khan's imminent release.
“There was no merit in the cases against Bibi. She had already received acquittal and bail in other cases and this one too was based on weak grounds, so there was no point in keeping her in prison,” political commentator Muneeb Farooq told Al Jazeera.
However, Farooq said the government's stance on Khan appears unchanged, leaving little hope for his release.
“The strategy appears to be to let Bibi go free, while maintaining the hardline policy with Khan unless there is a significant change that allows her release,” he said.
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