Bushra Bibi kept in rat-infested jail cell, alleges sister

LAHORE: Bushra Bibi, the wife of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, once resorted to a hunger strike inside jail to demand permission for a family meeting, her sister Maryam Riaz Wattoo claimed.

Speaking during ARY News programme Eleventh Hour, Maryam Riaz Wattoo said Bushra Bibi was allowed to meet her family after a month of repeated requests.

“The family was forced to wait outside the prison for hours before being allowed inside,” Bushra Bibi’s sister added.

Maryam Riaz Wattoo claimed that Bushra Bibi continues to face harsh and unlawful conditions in jail, including a ‘leaking ceiling, live current in the electric board of her cell, rats roaming inside, and electricity cuts lasting up to two days’.

“Bushra Bibi has become very weak and lost almost 15 kilograms of weight,” Maryam said and added that her sister’s morale, however, ‘remains intact’.

Maryam also alleged that her sister has been denied bail in multiple cases ‘unfairly’ and has not been permitted to meet PTI founder Imran Khan either.

Earlier, Maryam Riaz Watto said that Bushra Bibi did not recommend Mashaal Yousafzai for any role, including the Senate seat.

“I am 100 percent sure that Bushra Bibi did not recommend Mashaal Yousafzai for any role. [I] don’t know who recommended her [Mashaal Yousafzai],” she added on being asked over the reasons behind Mashaal’s ticket for a Senate seat.

“Barrister Saif presented a list to PTI founder Imran Khan. We don’t know what was told to Imran Khan, nor do we know what was conveyed to him or what approval was given,” said Maryam Riaz Wattoo.