IHC rejects Imran, Bushra's pleas seeking suspension of sentences in £190m graft case

A two-member bench headed by Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar will take up the central appeals on May 7. In view of this, the court declared the suspension applications infructuous.

During the hearing on April 30, Justice Dogar had emphasised that the best course would be an early disposal of the main appeal.

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.

The case alleges that the couple obtained billions of rupees and land worth hundreds of kanals from Bahria Town Ltd to legalise Rs50 billion identified and returned to the country by the United Kingdom during the PTI government.

Separately, Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir also heard a petition filed by Bushra’s daughter seeking access to a personal physician and permission for a family meeting.

During the hearing, counsel Salman Akram Raja informed the court that an application had already been submitted to the authorities of Adiala Jail both through courier and in person. He further stated that Bushra Bibi underwent surgery on the night between April 16 and 17.

The court directed the jail superintendent to decide the application within two days and pass a reasoned order. The superintendent was also summoned in personal capacity on May 6.

Justice Tahir observed that the court was forwarding the request to jail authorities for an appropriate decision, noting that such matters were also being discussed publicly.

It should be mentioned that on April 19, Bushra had also approached the IHC seeking suspension of her sentence in the £190 million corruption case on medical grounds.

In a related proceeding, the IHC sought a response from jail authorities in a contempt matter regarding the failure to arrange a meeting between Imran and his lawyer. The court was informed that jail officials had not yet signed the counsel’s power of attorney.

The order pertains to a March, 2025 judgment, which restored the incarcerated former premier’s visitation rights to twice a week.

The petition, filed in September 2025, alleged that inflammatory posts were made from the official X account of the PTI founder.

Further hearing of these matters was adjourned till next week.

Meanwhile, Imran’s sister Aleema Khanum posted on X that the family had “appealed to all party office holders, senior leadership, MNAs, MPAs, and senators to come to the Adiala jail this Tuesday to build pressure on the government” for access to the former PM.

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.

While Imran’s sisters continue to show up regularly at the jail in a failed bid to meet him, PTI leaders skipped the visits for two consecutives weeks in April before eventually went to Adiala on April 30.

In her post a day before Tuesday — one of the court mandated days to meet Imran — Aleema called on PTI members to reached the Adiala jail so that the government was pressurised to allow Imran’s family and lawyers “immediate access” to him; transfer him to Shifa International Hospital in Islamabad for “proper medical examination and treatment, in the presence of specialists, his personal doctor, and family”; and to ensure that IHC CJ Dogar took up Imran and Bushra Bibi’s bail petitions for their release “from this illegal imprisonment without delay”.

“Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi are being held in solitary confinement, one of the harshest forms of treatment in violation of Pakistani law and international human rights standards,” she further alleged in her post.