LAHORE: Bushra Bibi’s daughter has filed a petition in the Lahore High Court (LHC) seeking the right to meet her mother, who is currently serving a seven-year sentence at Adiala Jail in the £190 million corruption case.
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The petition, filed by Mubashra Khawar Maneka through LHC Bar President Asif Niswana under Article 199 of the Constitution, names the Punjab government, the home department secretary, the provincial inspector general of prisons, and the Adiala Jail superintendent as respondents.
Maneka stated in her petition that she is her mother’s biological daughter and a law-abiding citizen of Pakistan, but her repeated requests to visit Bushra Bibi had been denied without any legal justification or explanation. She described the refusal as “arbitrary, discriminatory and violative” of Pakistan’s prison rules and constitutional safeguards.
The petition highlights that prisoners are entitled to visitation by immediate blood relatives, subject only to reasonable security regulations. Maneka argued that the denial of visits had caused her emotional distress, mental agony, and psychological trauma, infringing on her rights to dignity and family association under Articles 9 and 14 of the Constitution.
Bushra Bibi, the former spouse of ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan, was also recently sentenced to 17 years’ imprisonment in the Toshakhana 2 case, which involved the purchase of a costly jewelry set gifted to Khan by the Saudi crown prince in May 2021.
The petition requests the court to direct the jail authorities to allow Maneka to meet her mother immediately on any designated visitation day and time, and to declare the denial of visitation without lawful reason illegal, unconstitutional, and void.
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The LHC will now review the petition to determine whether Maneka’s visitation rights can be restored in accordance with Pakistan’s prison regulations and constitutional protections.