ISLAMABAD:
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday removed all objections to the appeals filed by PTI founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi against their convictions in the Toshakhana-II case and ordered that the appeals be formally numbered and posted for hearing.
During the proceedings in the Toshakhana matter, Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro heard appeals against the sentences imposed on Imran and his wife. Lawyers Salman Safdar and Salman Akram Raja appeared before the court, while Imran Khan’s three sisters were also present.
Advocate Salman Safdar informed the court that the Registrar’s Office had raised objections to his appeals without his knowledge. He said they only found out about the objections when they submitted requests for suspension of the sentence.
According to him, the objections were unfounded, including one claiming that the power of attorney was outdated, an objection that was later withdrawn and accepted by the office itself.
He further stated that the office objected to the fact that the pages were not marked and the sequence was not properly arranged.
Justice Soomro commented that the court was addressing the remaining objections. When Safdar challenged the objection regarding unmarked pages, the judge, smiling, observed that the lawyer could simply mark the pages.
The court granted seven days to withdraw the remaining objections.
The court accepted two miscellaneous applications filed by Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi, one seeking disposal of objections in the main appeal and another seeking extension of time to address the objections.
£190 million case
In parallel proceedings, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Azam Khan heard various applications seeking early hearing of the pleas for suspension of judgments in the £190 million case.
Lawyer Salman Safdar argued that Imran Khan was suffering from an eye condition and was being taken to hospital for treatment.
He clarified that he was not requesting an immediate hearing on the main appeal, but pointed out that the requests for suspension of sentence had been pending for almost a year.
He told the court that despite filing five various applications, the Registrar’s Office had not fixed the matter for hearing. He also noted that Bushra Bibi’s petition had been pending for the same period and urged the court to assign an early date.
The Court of Justice expressed its displeasure when a large number of PTI-affiliated lawyers approached the gallery and asked if they were trying to influence the court.
Granting the request for an expedited hearing, the court ordered stay motions set for March 11.
