Bushra Bibi

Bushra Bibi Khan (née Bushra Riaz Wattoo, born 1971 Her family belongs to the Wattoo clan, a landowning Jat group, of whom the Manekas are a sub-clan.

Bushra and her sister, Maryam, were sent to Lahore to live with relatives. After the marriage, she managed the Maneka family's homes in Lahore, Islamabad, and their ancestral town of Pakpattan.

The couple divorced in 2017. Wattoo has been involved in Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). She has worked in the United Arab Emirates as an advisor for higher education affairs in the Ministry of Education. She also led the Higher Education Development Project, a World Bank-funded initiative in Pakistan.

Khan was a frequent visitor to Baba Farid's shrine in Pakpattan, where he would pay homage to the renowned 12th-century Sufi saint. He usually visited the town in the evening escorted by his private guards, and would later stay for a few hours at the Maneka family's residence, his local hosts, after which he would return to Islamabad. The Manekas were influential locally, and shared a "spiritual relationship" with Khan. Bushra, married to Khawar Maneka at the time, was known as a Sufi scholar, spiritual mentor, and faith healer, also referred to as a pir or murshid, She has been described as a leader of pilgrimages to Baba Farid's shrine.

Involvement in politics Bushra was noted as the first niqab-wearing spouse of a Pakistani prime minister. Bibi stated that her decision to wear a niqab is a personal choice in line with religious teachings and that she is not seeking to impose it on anyone else. Shortly after Khan took office, the media quoted Bibi as being "afraid" and commenting, "Power comes and goes."

During the premiership of Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi's influence extended directly to matters of state and party politics. The protests turned violent, resulting in at least six deaths. PTI eventually ended the protests. Bushra Bibi's active involvement marked a shift from her previously private role.

Trials Iddat case

On 4 February 2024, Bushra Bibi was sentenced to seven years in prison along with her husband, Imran Khan, by a local court for violating Section 496 of the Pakistan Penal Code by marrying during her Iddat period. Judge Qudratullah also invalidated their initial marriage dated 1 January 2018, and imposed a fine of Rs 0.5 million on each.

Al-Qadir Trust case

The Al-Qadir Trust case, commonly known as the £190m case involved allegations that Khan and some others in 2019 misappropriated Rs50 billion — amounting to £190 million at the time — sent by Britain's National Crime Agency (NCA) to the Pakistani government during his tenure as the country's prime minister.

Imran Khan was arrested by NAB on 13 November 2023. Bushra was also interrogated. On 1 December 2023 NAB filed the reference in Accountablity court against them. The couple were indicted on 27 February 2024.

On 17 January 2025, Imran Khan was sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment over the Al-Qadir Trust case, while Bushra Bibi was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment in the same case.

In July 2025, Bushra Bibi and her husband, former prime minister Imran Khan, filed fresh petitions in the Islamabad High Court seeking urgent hearings for the suspension of their convictions in the £190 million case. Filed through Barrister Salman Safdar, the petitions alleged that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was deliberately delaying proceedings through repeated adjournments, despite earlier court assurances.

The delay has been criticised as part of a broader pattern of political victimisation, with PTI leaders facing legal obstacles widely viewed as orchestrated by the military establishment and interim government. The case continues amid allegations of massive electoral rigging in the 2024 general elections, which critics say were manipulated to sideline PTI and suppress popular opposition.

Toshakhana case Bushra Bibi was also given a 14-year sentence in Toshakhana case alongside her husband, Imran Khan, after both were convicted of illegally profiting from state gifts while he was in office.

Imprisonment On 25 April 2024, Mashal Yousafzai, a spokesperson for Bushra Bibi had claimed that Bibi was poisoned in prison and faced medical negligence after two-to-three drops of "toilet cleaner" were dropped in her meal on 24 February. Yousafzai had also claimed that an endoscopy revealed ulceration and inflammation in Bibi's stomach but authorities barred her from getting a blood test done.

She was granted bail on 23 October 2024 and was released on next day.

In January 2025, Bushra Bibi was arrested again.

In July 2025, former Prime Minister Imran Khan alleged that his wife, Bushra Bibi, was facing inhumane treatment in prison, including the suspension of all basic human and legal rights. He claimed that this treatment was being carried out on the orders of Army Chief Asim Munir, whom he accused of holding a personal grudge against her. Khan stated that Bushra Bibi was being targeted as a means to emotionally pressure him. Later, in his September 2025 letter to Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi, he reiterated that she was subjected to "inhuman and degrading treatment," claiming she had been denied access to medical care, books, and television. Khan also argued that, according to rulings by superior courts, female prisoners are entitled to leniency through bail as a matter of right, but asserted that this principle had been suspended in her case.

In March 2026, Imran Khan, in a message relayed by his son Kasim Khan following a phone call, again alleged that Bushra Bibi was being subjected to inhumane treatment in prison. He claimed that she was being kept in 24 hour isolation, with only 30 minutes of weekly contact with him, which was often denied. He also criticised the judiciary for allowing such treatment saying "they have sold their souls for their paid personal privileges".