ISLAMABAD:
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi have challenged the Islamabad High Court (IHC) order granting a “last chance” to present arguments in appeals related to the £190 million case.
The petitioners on Monday filed various petitions in the capital high court through advocate Salman Safdar, challenging the court’s order and calling it harsh, unwarranted and unfair.
On May 15, the IHC gave a final deadline of May 20 to Safdar to file arguments in appeals in the £190 million case, warning against further delays.
In a written order issued by a division bench comprising IHC Chief Justice Sardar Muhammed Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif, the court expressed concern over the repeated adjournments and lack of progress in the case.
The court noted that during the hearing on May 7, all parties had been directed to ensure their presence and proceed with their arguments.
Despite this, the court said, the lawyer requested an adjournment on what he described as weak grounds instead of presenting arguments. The order noted that Safdar himself filed the main appeals, making it imperative that he proceed without delay.
Emphasizing the sensitivity and importance of the case, the court granted what it called a “last and final opportunity” to present arguments.
Objecting to the order, the petitions pointed out that the order granting a final deadline for filing pleadings does not align with the facts of the case.
The petitions asked the court to direct the jail authorities to arrange a meeting between Imran and Bushra with their lawyer and facilitate signatures on vakalatnama (power of attorney).
According to the allegations, no adjournment application was filed in the case from March 19, 2025 to April 30, 2026. They added that the first adjournment application was filed on May 7 for good reasons.
The petitioners maintained that both the PTI founder and Bushra Bibi feel aggrieved by the court’s April 30 decision and have the right to challenge it in the Supreme Court.
However, the applications alleged that the jail superintendent had unlawfully refused to meet with an attorney for instructions.
The petitions further claimed that the jail authorities also failed to provide signatures on vakalatnama required to challenge the April 30 ruling before the Supreme Court. The petitions urged the court to instruct jail authorities to organize meetings and ensure signing of legal documents.
In January last year, an accountability court in Islamabad convicted Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi in the £190 million case, sentencing Imran to 14 years in prison and his wife to seven years in prison.
Both the PTI founder and his wife later challenged the verdict in the IHC.
