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UN Warns Bushra Bibi’s Detention Poses Risk to Physical and Mental Health
UN Special Rapporteur raises concerns over the detention conditions of former PM Imran Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, calling for humane treatment and access to family and legal counsel.
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by Muhammad Hashir
2025-12-24
UN Warns Bushra Bibi’s Detention Poses Risk to Physical and Mental Health

A United Nations (UN) expert has expressed concern over the detention of Bushra Bibi, wife of former prime minister Imran Khan, warning that she is being held “in circumstances that could pose a serious risk to her physical and mental integrity.”

Bushra Bibi is currently serving a seven-year sentence in the £190 million corruption case and was recently sentenced to 17 years in the Toshakhana-II case, which involved the purchase of a luxury jewelry set gifted to Imran Khan by the Saudi crown prince during his May 2021 visit.

Alice Jills Edwards, the UN Special Rapporteur, stated that “the state has an obligation to protect Mrs. Khan’s health and ensure conditions of detention compatible with human dignity.”

Earlier this year, the Adiala prison administration submitted a detailed report to the Islamabad High Court (IHC), confirming that Bushra Bibi had been provided with a range of facilities under the Pakistan Prison Rules 1978. These included medical care, private lodging, entertainment, legal resources, and twice-daily health checks by a dedicated woman medical officer. Her private room is equipped with a cot, furniture, and climate-control measures such as fans and an air cooler.

Despite these provisions, Edwards raised concerns that Bushra Bibi has been “frequently placed in near-total isolation for more than 22 hours a day, sometimes for periods exceeding ten days, without access to exercise, reading material, legal counsel, family visits, or her personal physicians.”

The UN expert urged authorities to ensure that the former first lady could communicate with her lawyers, receive family visits, and maintain meaningful human contact throughout her detention.

UN special rapporteurs are independent experts appointed by the Human Rights Council and do not speak on behalf of the United Nations itself. Earlier this month, Edwards also warned that Imran Khan was being held in conditions that could amount to inhuman or degrading treatment, calling on Pakistani authorities to comply with international norms.
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