Bushra Bibi moves IHC seeking to suspend sentence in £190m corruption case on medical grounds
ISLAMABAD: Bushra Bibi, the spouse of former prime minister Imran Khan, approached the Islamabad High Court on Saturday seeking suspension of her sentence in the £190 million corruption case on medical grounds.
Bushra is serving a seven-year sentence in the £190 million corruption case, which pertains to giving undue favours to property tycoon Malik Riaz in retrieving his laundered money from the United Kingdom. Her appeal against the conviction remains pending before the high court.
In December 2025, she was also sentenced to 17 years’ imprisonment in the Toshakhana 2 case, which concerns the purchase of an expensive jewelry set gifted to Imran by the Saudi crown prince during his May 2021 visit.
In the application filed on Saturday through her counsels Salman Safdar and Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry, Bushra Bibi urged the court to urgently fix and decide on her plea seeking the suspension of the sentence.
The petition stated that Bushra Bibi, currently incarcerated at Adiala jail, underwent an eye surgery under undisclosed circumstances at Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital. It contended that the development was neither communicated to her legal team nor to her family prior to the procedure.
According to the application, her daughters were informed about the surgery only after they were allowed to meet her on April 17, where they found her in a distressed condition with bandaged eyes and impaired vision. The plea alleged that the jail authorities did not provide medical records, including diagnosis, operation notes or post-operative care details.
The petition raised serious concerns regarding transparency and legality, alleging that the surgery was conducted without prior consent or consultation, and that subsequent denial of access to counsel and family members reflected a pattern of concealment regarding her health condition.
It further contended that despite a clear court order directing the facilitation of a meeting between Bushra Bibi and her counsel, jail authorities failed to comply, thereby depriving her of the opportunity to seek timely legal recourse.
The application maintained that Bushra Bibi’s medical condition deteriorated due to inadequate care during incarceration and that her current condition required constant medical supervision and assistance. It argued that her continued detention, particularly after a surgical intervention, amounted to inhumane and degrading treatment.
Citing legal precedent, the petition contended that severe medical hardship and lack of proper care constituted valid grounds for bail or suspension of sentence. It also emphasised that the applicant was entitled to relief on humanitarian grounds, especially when her appeal was pending for over a year.
The plea requested the court to summon jail administration and the hospital officials, along with the complete medical records, and to order her immediate transfer to a specialised medical facility for proper treatment.
The development comes after Bushra Bibi was shifted back to Adiala jail on Friday after undergoing an eye surgery at a Rawalpindi hospital, according to jail authorities.
According to a press release by the Adiala jail authorities, she had complained of impaired vision in her right eye, due to which the prison administrators immediately had her examined by ophthalmologists.
The superintendent of the jail said that retinal detachment was diagnosed in the right eye. In view of the diagnosis, doctors advised surgery, he added.
In January, it had surfaced that Imran was also suffering from an eye ailment, for which he has been undergoing treatment.
