ISLAMABAD: In a significant development in the £190 million case pending before the Islamabad High Court (IHC), counsel for incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi challenged the court’s order setting a deadline for concluding arguments in the appeals against their conviction.
Imran — imprisoned since Aug 5, 2023, for concealing details of Toshakhana gifts — is serving a 14-year sentence at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail in the £190m case, also known as the Al-Qadir Trust case.
An accountability court in Islamabad had sentenced Imran and Bushra to 14 and seven years in prison, respectively, on Jan 17, 2025, in the case. Subsequently, both had challenged their convictions before the IHC.
Earlier in May, the IHC rejected their petitions seeking the suspension of their sentences in the case, observing that their main appeals were already fixed for hearing.
Barrister Salman Safdar filed two separate miscellaneous petitions on behalf of the PTI founder and Bushra Bibi, contending that the April 30 order imposing a time limit for arguments was “harsh, unjustified and unfair” given the facts and circumstances of the case.
The petitions stated that no application for adjournment had been filed by the defence in the case from March 19, 2025, until April 30, 2026, and that the first request for adjournment was moved on May 7 for a genuine reason.
They argued that both appellants were directly affected by the April 30 order and had a constitutional and legal right to challenge the decision before the Supreme Court (SC).
In separate applications, Safdar also raised grievances regarding the alleged denial of access to his clients in jail and hurdles in obtaining signed powers of attorney for filing appeals before the apex court.
The IHC has allowed Imran twice-a-week meetings — on Tuesdays and Thursdays — with his family, lawyers and other associates. Despite court orders, Imran’s meetings with the family and the party leaders have been largely restricted.
The petitions maintained that the jail superintendent was “illegally” preventing meetings with the PTI founder and Bushra Bibi for legal consultation and instructions in connection with the pending proceedings.
According to the applications, the jail authorities were also refusing to facilitate signatures on the vakalatnama and power of attorney documents required to challenge the April 30 order before the SC.
Counsel pleaded before the high court to direct jail authorities to immediately arrange meetings with the PTI founder and Bushra Bibi and ensure the signing of the powers of attorney so that the appeals could be filed without further delay.
The case alleges that the couple obtained billions of rupees and land worth hundreds of kanals from Bahria Town Ltd to legalise Rs50bn identified and returned to the country by the United Kingdom during the PTI government.
Arrest warrants issued for former KP CM
Meanwhile, in a separate case relating to an alleged audio leak, a local court issued arrest warrants for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s former chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur, ordering the police to arrest and produce him before the court.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Nasruminallah Baloch passed the orders while hearing the case registered against Gandapur at Golra Police Station.
The court rejected Gandapur’s application seeking exemption from personal appearance, observing that statements of prosecution witnesses could not be recorded due to his repeated non-appearance.
The court summoned the prosecution witnesses again for the next hearing and adjourned the proceedings till June 17.
The case pertains to an alleged audio leak in which Gandapur could purportedly be heard using derogatory language against the federal coalition and hurling threats at government officials, as well as inciting the public against the government.
