The Islamabad High Court has fixed May 7 for hearing the main appeals of PTI founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the £190 million corruption case.
A division bench headed by Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar heard the matter on Monday. The court disposed of their petitions seeking suspension of sentence and bail after scheduling the main appeals for hearing. Judges ruled that the suspension pleas had become ineffective once the appeals were fixed.
Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi had requested the court to first hear their applications for suspension of sentence. However, the request was rejected by the bench.
The couple had filed the suspension petitions in March 2025 after being convicted in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) reference.
An accountability court had sentenced Imran Khan to 14 years in prison and Bushra Bibi to seven years in the case. The verdict was announced in January last year.
The £190 million case is linked to the Al-Qadir Trust, a welfare organisation established in 2018. The trust operates a university near Islamabad.
Investigators allege that valuable land was transferred to the trust by a real estate businessman in exchange for financial relief provided during Imran Khan’s government.
According to the allegations, funds repatriated from the United Kingdom were allegedly adjusted against the businessman’s liabilities instead of being deposited into Pakistan’s national treasury.
Imran Khan has repeatedly denied all accusations. He says neither he nor Bushra Bibi received personal financial benefits from the trust or related transactions.
In another development, the Federal Investigation Agency submitted a challan in the prohibited funding case against the PTI founder and several others.
Officials confirmed that the challan was submitted before the registrar of the Special Court in Islamabad. The registrar’s office will complete scrutiny before sending the case for regular hearing.
The accused face allegations related to foreign funding and financial irregularities involving PTI accounts.
Separately, the Islamabad High Court also heard a petition filed by Bushra Bibi’s daughter regarding jail facilities and medical access.
The court directed Adiala Jail authorities to decide within two days on the request seeking permission for family meetings and access to a personal doctor.
The jail superintendent was also ordered to appear before the court on May 6.
Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir instructed authorities to issue a written and reasoned decision regarding the application.
During the hearing, PTI lawyer Salman Akram Raja informed the court that Bushra Bibi underwent eye surgery between April 16 and 17 in Rawalpindi.
According to jail officials, doctors diagnosed retinal detachment in her eye, a condition requiring urgent medical treatment.
She was shifted to a private hospital where specialists conducted surgery after pre-operative examinations.
Following the procedure and overnight observation, Bushra Bibi was shifted back to Adiala Jail.
Concerns regarding her health had increased after reports surfaced about blurred vision and a black spot affecting her right eye.
The high court also heard a separate petition seeking suspension of Imran Khan’s X account.
The court issued notices to PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar and sought replies from jail authorities in a contempt petition over the alleged denial of meetings between Imran Khan and his legal team.
Salman Akram Raja informed the bench that jail officials had still not obtained Imran Khan’s signatures on legal documents related to representation in court.
The hearing in the social media case was adjourned for one week.
Earlier this year, the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency informed the court that Imran Khan had not cooperated in investigations regarding social media activity allegedly conducted from prison.
Imran Khan has remained imprisoned in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail since 2023.
Both Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi are also serving sentences in the Toshakhana-II case.
The case involves allegations that the couple unlawfully retained a Bulgari jewellery set gifted by the Saudi crown prince during an official visit.
