The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday approved a request to postpone the hearing on appeals filed by former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, offering their legal team one final opportunity to present arguments. IHC Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar emphasized the case’s sensitivity as the reason for allowing the adjournment.
He instructed that the proceedings must advance without further delay at the next scheduled hearing. “Considering the delicate nature of the matter, this is the last chance being granted,” the chief justice stated, urging measures to ensure timely progress.
During the session, a lawyer representing the petitioners requested the adjournment, explaining that they had not yet received instructions to argue the appeals. However, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor Rafiq Masood opposed the delay, pointing out the defense’s repeated attempts to postpone despite public claims of readiness to argue.
Responding to the prosecutor, PTI lawyer Shoaib Shaheen questioned whether the matter should be debated in court or aired in the media. The chief justice noted that the courtroom proceedings were under close public observation amid this exchange.
PTI counsel Fatahullah Barki informed the court that directives from a previous larger bench had not been implemented and that scheduled meetings with Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi had not occurred since that ruling. While the NAB prosecution team appeared before the court, lawyers for Khan and Bushra Bibi were absent.
Their legal representatives had earlier submitted miscellaneous appeals seeking to delay the proceedings. After hearing initial arguments, the bench, consisting of Chief Justice Dogar and Justice Mohammad Asif, retired to chambers.
Imran Khan, founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and his wife are petitioning to suspend their sentences pending a final verdict on their primary appeals. The allegations against them involve claims that they obtained land valued at billions of rupees from property magnate Malik Riaz in exchange for a deal that allegedly caused a Rs50 billion (£190 million) loss to the national treasury.
The disputed funds, initially recovered by the UK’s National Crime Agency, were meant for Pakistan’s national treasury but were allegedly redirected to pay penalties imposed on Malik Riaz for acquiring government land below market value. The couple, as sole trustees of the Al-Qadir Trust, are accused of benefiting from this arrangement, which included acquiring 458 kanals of land for the Al-Qadir University in Jhelum.
