ISLAMABAD: A division bench of the Islamabad High Court, comprising Acting Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif, adjourned the hearing on the suspension of sentences of PTI founder Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi in the £190 million case.
The adjournment came after NAB’s newly appointed Special Prosecutor requested time to prepare the case.
During the hearing, the petitioners’ lawyers — Barrister Salman Safdar, Niazullah Niazi, Ali Bukhari, Shoaib Shaheen, and others — were present, while Special Prosecutor Javed Arshad and Prosecutor Rafiq Maqsood represented NAB.
PTI founder’s sisters, KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, Opposition Leader in National Assembly Omar Ayub, Faisal Javed, and other party leaders also attended the hearing.
As the hearing began, a large number of lawyers and party leaders gathered at the rostrum. The Chief Justice addressed Barrister Salman Safdar, asking him to have them step back, saying, “The court has a decorum; if it is not maintained, I won’t hear the case.” Salman Safdar assured that order would be maintained, after which the unnecessary crowd returned to their seats.
NAB’s Special Prosecutor Javed Arshad requested time to prepare, stating he was appointed only yesterday and needed at least four weeks due to the case’s volume. Barrister Safdar argued that NAB had previously formed a team under Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi and that Prosecutor Rafiq Maqsood had also refused to argue on June 5.
He stressed that even women are usually granted sentence suspensions, and requested a chance to present his case in the interest of transparency.
Prosecutor Arshad reiterated that he had no prior involvement in the case and needed time to study it. Barrister Safdar urged the court to list the case again on Monday. He remarked, “If you’ve built a case, then come and play; don’t run from the appeal.”
Prosecutor Arshad responded, “We’ll definitely play.” Rafiq Maqsood added that despite the 14-year sentence, the case should be treated like any other.
The court accepted the Special Prosecutor’s request for time and adjourned the hearing, stating that the next date will be mentioned in the court order.
After the hearing, PTI founder’s sister Aleema Khan approached court staff and requested them to convey a message to the judge, asking for the next hearing date, adding, “We’re waiting here; it would be a great kindness if the judge could let us know the date—only if it’s not too much trouble.”
