LAHORE: A Lahore High Court division bench on Monday granted protective bail to Bushra Bibi, wife of former prime minister Imran Khan, till May 23 in an inquiry into the Al Qadir Trust by NAB.

Bushra Bibi appeared before the bench along with her husband under strict security arrangements. The couple was also covered with a white sheet, a kind of purdah for her, on their way to the courtroom.

During the first phase of hearing, the bench comprising Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi and Justice Shakil Ahmad expressed displeasure over Bushra Bibi’s absence.

The bench directed Advocate Khwaja Haris to ensure the appearance of his client at 2:15pm sharp.

However, the petitioner appeared before the court late as her petition was called for hearing thrice.

Advocate Haris assured the bench that the petitioner would appear at the right time in future.

The counsel asked the bench to grant the bail at least for 10 days so that the petitioner could easily app­r­­oach trial court for pre-arrest bail. He contended that there was a possibility of the petitioner’s arrest. The bench allowed the petition and granted the protective bail to Bushra Bibi till May 23.

Published in Dawn, May 16th, 2023