Islamabad High Court Adjudges Delay in Hearing on Sentence Suspension Pleas of PTI Founder and Bushra Bibi
The Islamabad High Court has postponed its proceedings regarding the sentence suspension pleas for PTI founder Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi. The hearing was adjourned to Monday due to legal arguments over maintainability.
Chief Justice Sardar Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif presided over the case. Barrister Salman Safdar represented Khan and Bushra Bibi, while NAB Special Prosecutor Javed Ashraf and Rafi Maqsood acted for the prosecution.
During the hearing, prosecutor Ashraf argued that two miscellaneous applications have been filed concerning the maintainability of the sentence suspension pleas. He maintained that such petitions cannot be heard without issuing notices on the main appeals.
Safdar responded by stating that not all points could be accepted from the prosecution side alone, as Khan and Bibi were sentenced in January 2025 and around 14 months have passed since then. The defense also highlighted that Bushra Bibi was on bail during trial proceedings and had medical grounds for release.
The prosecutor reiterated that the suspension pleas were not set to be heard and Chief Justice Dogar asked if arguments could be presented if two days per week were allocated. Safdar stated he has been unable to meet his clients for five months and could not obtain instructions for appeal arguments, prompting the court to advise him to seek instructions before the next hearing.
The defense also noted that in a previous case, arguments took three months and this case may require more time, insisting that suspension pleas should be heard first. The Chief Justice suggested fixing the appeals for next week, but the defence requested additional time to obtain instructions from their clients.