Islamabad High Court Pushes for Quick Hearing in Imran Khan’s £190 Million Corruption Case
In a key development for former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, the Islamabad High Court on Thursday stepped in to speed up the process on his and his wife Bushra Bibi’s pleas to suspend their sentences in the high-profile £190 million corruption case. The court also ordered federal agencies to submit fresh reports on all legal cases against Khan, as reported by Dawn.
A bench led by Chief Justice Sardar Mohammad Sarfaraz Dogar and Justice Mohammad Azam Khan greenlit the request for an expedited hearing on the couple’s applications to pause their convictions. This comes amid ongoing delays in the case, which involves allegations of corruption linked to a £190 million settlement.
Imran Khan’s lawyer, Barrister Salman Safdar, highlighted the frustrations to the court. He pointed out that despite five scheduled dates, the hearings kept getting postponed because of issues with the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). "Sometimes NAB doesn’t even appoint a prosecutor, and other times they ask for more time," Safdar explained.
Safdar added that while neither Khan nor Bibi has ever asked for medical relief before, Bibi is currently not well. He noted that the couple has already won acquittals or bail in every other case against them. "We need these applications decided soon to serve justice," he urged.
Chief Justice Dogar assured the court that they had already instructed the office to prioritize the case. The bench then directed that the suspension pleas get an early hearing slot.
In another related matter, Justice Azam Khan took up Khan’s petitions demanding a full list of all cases filed against him. Safdar told the court that a whopping 127 cases have piled up in the last two years, but the status of many remains unclear. He called for a larger bench to handle this, pointing to past precedents in sensitive political cases.
The lawyer argued that even after filing the petition two years ago, agencies like NAB and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) keep sending new notices. "The number of cases has only grown, and it all feels politically motivated and against the constitution," Safdar said.
NAB’s special prosecutor, Rafay Maqsood, pushed back against the larger bench idea. He said NAB keeps detailed records and can easily share them with the court, so there’s no need for such a step.
Justice Azam Khan responded that they’ll decide on the larger bench after reviewing the reports. He ordered NAB, FIA, and the police to submit updated details on all pending cases against Imran Khan. The hearing now stands adjourned until further notice.
This move by the Islamabad High Court could bring some clarity to the long list of legal battles surrounding Imran Khan, keeping the spotlight on his corruption cases and political future in Pakistan.
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