Suspension of sentences in 190 million-pound case: IHC accepts IK, Bushra’s hearing plea

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC), Thursday, accepted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi’s early hearing application regarding the suspension of their sentences in the 190 million-pound case.

A Division Bench of IHC comprising Acting Chief Justice of IHC Justice SarfrazDogar and Justice Inam Amin Minhas heard the applications and accepted the same as well as their requests for an expedited hearing of their appeals against the conviction.

The bench issued directions that both Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi’s appeals against their sentences be scheduled within two weeks, adding that the applications for the suspension of their sentences will be heard alongside the appeals.

During the hearing, Advocate Ali Bukhari requested the court to fix a date for the suspension of sentences.

At this, the acting chief justice responded saying that the division bench has already issued a judicial order regarding the scheduling of cases and they could not directly set a date without following that order. However, they would review the sentence suspension requests alongside the appeals.

Imran Khan’s legal team was represented by advocates, Zaheer Abbas and Usman Gull, while Bushra Bibi’s lawyer, advocate Ali Bukhari, appeared on her behalf.

Both Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi are currently serving sentences—14 years for Imran Khan and seven years for Bushra Bibi. Both have filed appeals and requests for the suspension of their sentences.

Earlier, PTI founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi filed the early hearing applications in the £190 million case. The applications were filed by lawyer Barrister Salman Safdar and Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry on behalf of the former ruling couple, urging the court to schedule the appeals as soon as possible.

The plea stated that there had been no progress in the case during the last hearing, and since the petitioner is a former prime minister, his detention is politically motivated.

It added that the conviction was announced on January 17, but no hearing has taken place since then. This delay, the petition argued, poses a risk of injustice and strengthens the case for an urgent hearing.

“The delay may undermine justice. A timely hearing ensures fairness, and justice must not only be done but must also be seen to be done,” the petition said, adding that swift proceedings are necessary to uphold the rule of law.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025