The Islamabad High Court on Tuesday ordered authorities to set up a one-hour meeting between senior lawyer Sardar Latif Khosa and former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan, along with his wife Bushra Bibi. The order came while the court was hearing the couple’s appeals against their convictions, a session that became tangled in a dispute over who should represent them and how much time was needed to prepare.
The appeals relate to the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case. An accountability court sentenced Imran to 14 years and Bushra to seven years in prison in January 2025.
Dispute over counsel and preparation time
Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar issued the direction after Barrister Salman Safdar told the bench that he had recently been allowed to meet the couple, unexpectedly, and had been instructed to argue their appeals. He said Bushra had questioned his absence over the previous 11 months. “Where were you for the last 11 months?” she asked, according to Safdar.
Safdar told the court this had created a crisis of confidence between him and his clients, which he said made it hard for a professional lawyer to continue. The court also questioned his earlier position that he had been engaged only to pursue applications seeking suspension of the couple’s sentences. Dogar asked him to let Khosa begin arguing the appeals, noting that an earlier order had already established Khosa would lead the arguments.
Safdar responded that the paper books for the appeals had not been prepared or handed to the defence, leaving him without the material needed. “I now have instructions to argue the appeals,” he told the court, adding that he needed time to go through the record. Dogar offered him time to prepare. NAB prosecutor Rafi Maqsood noted that the prosecution had repeatedly been accused of causing delays, while the defence was now asking for an adjournment itself.
Health concerns raised over Imran and Bushra
Safdar told the court that Imran had complained of uncontrolled blood pressure, which he said had risen above 190, and had warned of the risk of a brain haemorrhage. According to Safdar, Imran also said his eyesight had improved. Safdar raised separate concerns about Bushra’s eyesight, describing her condition as very poor, and argued that he could not keep addressing the appeals while his client risked losing her vision.
“If the court believes bail cannot be granted, she can at least be granted bail for treatment for six weeks,” he said. The lawyer also sought relief on medical grounds. Dogar observed that the health-related matter was already pending before the Federal Constitutional Court, but Safdar disputed this, saying no matter concerning Bushra Bibi was before that court.
The chief justice also questioned the description of the proceedings as a sensitive case, saying no distinction existed that would stop appeals with larger volumes of documents from being decided. “I made a mistake by calling it an important case,” Dogar said, adding that it should be treated like an ordinary case. Safdar agreed and said he would also stop describing it as an important case.
Court directs Adiala Jail meeting with Khosa
As the hearing moved on, Safdar objected to being sidelined and said the court could not simply remove him from the case. “Tell me directly if the court wants me to withdraw my power of attorney. I cannot simply be removed from the proceedings in this manner,” he said.
Khosa told the court that his name had repeatedly been sent to jail authorities, yet he had not been permitted to meet the former prime minister and his wife. Dogar then directed the Islamabad Advocate General to arrange a one-hour meeting between Khosa and the couple at Adiala Jail, approving the request Khosa had made for that duration.
PTI lawyer Salman Akram Raja asked that Safdar be allowed to accompany Khosa to the meeting. The advocate general questioned the need to accommodate additional lawyers, saying he was already arranging the meeting in line with the law. He also sought an assurance that Khosa would begin arguments at the next hearing before the meeting was arranged.
