The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has adjourned the hearing on petitions seeking suspension of sentences of PTI founder Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi. The case relates to the £190 million reference. The next hearing will now take place on Monday.
The hearing was conducted by Chief Justice Sardar Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif. Barrister Salman Safdar represented the PTI founder and Bushra Bibi. Meanwhile, NAB prosecutors Javed Ashraf and Rafi Maqsood appeared on behalf of the prosecution.
During the proceedings, the prosecution raised objections regarding the maintainability of the pleas. The NAB prosecutor argued that two miscellaneous applications had been filed. He stated that the IHC cannot hear sentence suspension pleas without issuing notices on the main appeals.
The prosecutor further explained that amendments in NAB laws require proper procedure. According to him, suspension of sentence cannot be considered before hearing the appeals. He also invited the defence to begin arguments on the main appeals instead.
In response, Barrister Salman Safdar disagreed with the prosecution’s stance. He argued that the defence cannot accept all points raised by the prosecution. He noted that the PTI founder and Bushra Bibi were sentenced in January 2025. He added that around 14 months have passed since then.
The defence also highlighted that Bushra Bibi had remained on bail during the trial. It was further argued that she has medical grounds that need consideration. The lawyer emphasized that they are not seeking arguments on the main appeals at this stage. Instead, they want suspension of sentence and bail.
The IHC bench also questioned whether arguments could proceed if time was allocated during the week. However, the defence said they had not been able to meet their clients for several months. This made it difficult to prepare for appeal arguments.
The court advised the defence to obtain proper instructions before the next hearing. It also considered fixing the appeals for the coming week. However, the defence requested more time for preparation.
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After hearing both sides, the IHC decided to adjourn the case. The matter will now be taken up again on Monday. The case remains an important legal development with significant public attention.
