ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court has adjourned the hearing on petitions seeking suspension of sentences of PTI founder Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi in the £190 million case till Monday.
The case was heard by Chief Justice Sardar Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif, where Barrister Salman Safdar appeared for the PTI founder and Bushra Bibi, while NAB Special Prosecutor Javed Ashraf and Rafi Maqsood represented the prosecution.
During the hearing, the NAB prosecutor argued that two miscellaneous applications have been filed regarding the maintainability of the sentence suspension pleas, stating that such petitions cannot be heard without issuing notices on the main appeals.
He maintained that after amendments in NAB laws, suspension of sentence cannot be considered without notices on appeals and invited the defence to begin arguments on the appeals.
Barrister Salman Safdar responded that all points cannot be accepted solely from the prosecution side, adding that the PTI founder and Bushra Bibi were sentenced in January 2025 and around 14 months have already passed, while the prosecution continues to seek delays.
He further argued that Bushra Bibi was on bail during the trial and also has medical grounds, emphasizing that they are not seeking arguments on the main appeals at this stage but want suspension of sentence and release on bail.
The prosecutor reiterated that the suspension pleas were not scheduled for hearing, while Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar asked whether arguments could be presented if two days per week were allocated.
Salman Safdar stated that he has not been able 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 defence also highlighted that in the cipher 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, however, the defence requested time to obtain instructions from the clients. The court subsequently adjourned the hearing till Monday.
