A special court in Pakistan granted interim bail to Bushra Bibi, the wife of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, on Tuesday in a £190 million graft case. This development comes months after a two-member Islamabad High Court bench approved Khan’s bail in the same case. The case accuses the couple of receiving financial aid from a land developer to establish an educational institution, Al Qadir University. However, Bushra Bibi will remain incarcerated despite the bail due to an ongoing sentence stemming from a ruling that her marriage to Khan was illegal. Last week, a Pakistan court dismissed their appeal to suspend their sentences in the illegal marriage case. The current case dates back to February 3, when an Islamabad court convicted the couple just days before the general elections on February 8. This conviction was based on a complaint filed by Bushra Bibi’s ex-husband, Khawar Fareed Maneka. Khan and his party maintain that the charges against them are politically motivated, aimed at hindering his return to power. In recent months, Pakistani courts have suspended Khan’s jail sentences for two separate cases involving the illegal acquisition and sale of state gifts, while overturning his conviction on charges of leaking state secrets. The former cricket star is currently facing numerous other legal cases.
