ISLAMABAD:
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi have challenged the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) order granting a “final opportunity” to argue an appeal in the ₹190 million case.
The petitioners on Monday filed various petitions in the capital’s High Court through advocate Salman Safdar, opposing the court order and terming it harsh, unwarranted and unfair.
On May 15, the IHC set a May 20 deadline for Safdar to present his arguments in the £190 million appeals, warning of 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 repeated adjournments and lack of progress in the case.
The bench observed that during the hearing on May 7, all parties were asked to ensure their presence and continue their arguments.
Despite this, the court said, the lawyer requested the adjournment on what he described as weak grounds instead of presenting arguments. The order specifies that Safdar himself filed the main appeals, which requires him to act without delay.
Underscoring the sensitive and important nature of the case, the court granted what it called a “last and final opportunity” to present arguments.
Taking exception to the order, the motions stated that the order to grant a final deadline for presentation of arguments did not correspond to the facts of the case.
The petitions asked the court to order the jail authorities to arrange a meeting between Imran and Bushra with their lawyer and facilitate the signing of the vakalatnama – power of attorney.
According to the pleadings, no application for adjournment was filed in the case from March 19, 2025 to April 30, 2026. They add that the first application for adjournment was filed on May 7 on serious grounds.
The petitioners contend that both the PTI founder and Bushra Bibi are aggrieved by the court’s April 30 decision and are entitled to challenge it in the Supreme Court.
However, the applications alleged that the prison warden illegally refused to meet with an attorney for instructions.
The applications further stated that the jail authorities also failed to facilitate the signing of the vakalatnama required to challenge the April 30 decision in the Supreme Court. The pleas urged the court to issue directions to the jail authorities to hold 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.
The PTI founder and his wife later challenged the verdict before the IHC.
