Counsel for Imran, Bushra challenges IHC order setting deadline for arguments in £190m case

ISLAMABAD: In a significant development in the £190 million case pending before the Islamabad High Court (IHC), counsel for incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi challenged the court’s order setting a deadline for concluding arguments in the appeals against their conviction. Imran — imprisoned since Aug 5, 2023, for concealing details of Toshakhana gifts — is serving a 14-year sentence at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail in the £190m case, also known as the Al-Qadir Trust case. An accountability court in Islamabad had sentenced Imran and Bushra to 14 and seven years in prison, respectively, on Jan 17, 2025, in the case. Subsequently, both had challenged their convictions before the IHC. Earlier in May, the IHC rejected their petitions seeking the suspension of their sentences in the case, observing that their main appeals were already fixed for hearing. Barrister Salman Safdar filed two separate miscellaneous petitions on behalf of the PTI founder and Bushra Bibi, contending that the April 30 order imposing a time limit for arguments was “harsh, unjustified and unfair” given the facts and circumstances of the case. The petitions stated that no application for adjournment had been filed by the defence in the case from March 19, 2025, until April 30, 2026, and that the first request for adjournment was moved on May 7 for a genuine reason. They argued that both appellants were directly affected by the April 30 order and had a constitutional and legal right to challenge the decision before the Supreme Court (SC). In separate applications, Safdar also raised grievances regarding the alleged denial of access to his clients in jail and hurdles in obtaining signed powers of attorney for filing appeals before the apex court. The IHC has allowed Imran twice-a-week meetings — on Tuesdays and Thursdays — with his family, lawyers and other associates. Despite court orders, Imran’s meetings with the family and the party leaders have been largely restricted. The p