Court approves Imran, Bushra's 7-day physical remand in Toshakhana case

• Suspects produced after expiry of eight-day remand.
• Court turns down NAB's request for 14-day remand.
• Hopes of Imran's release dashed after new case.
  

RAWALPINDI: An accountability court has approved a seven-day remand of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, in the newly filed Toshakhana reference.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had sought a 14-day remand of the couple, but the court turned down the request and asked the anti-graft body to produce the suspects on July 29.

The anti-corruption body's team had presented the couple before the court after the expiry of their previous eight-day remand and also submitted a progress report to the judge.

The 71-year-old cricketer-turned-politician has been in prison for almost a year in a plethora of cases, including the Toshakhana case, cipher case, and the un-Islamic marriage case. His wife, Bushra, has also been behind bars for months.

However, a court suspended his sentence in the Toshakhana case, while other courts overturned his convictions in the cipher and iddat cases, respectively.

While there were hopes for his and Bushra's release in July, they were dashed when NAB arrested them on fresh charges related to the sale of state gifts.

The chances of Imran's release from jail further dimmed after the Lahore Police declared his arrest in several cases related to the May 9, 2023, riots, that erupted after his detainment from from Islamabad High Court (IHC) premises last year in which protesters targeted government and military installations.