Hearing on PTI Founder and Bushra Bibi’s Bail Requests in £190 Million Case Postponed; NAB Objects to Unnoticed Appeals

Islamabad: The Islamabad High Court has postponed the hearing on the requests for suspension of sentences for PTI founder Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi in the £190 million case until Monday. The bench, comprising Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif, heard arguments from the defendants’ lawyer Barrister Salman Safdar and NAB Special Prosecutors Javed Ashraf and Rafiq Maqsood.

During the hearing, the NAB prosecutor argued that under recent amendments to the NAB law, suspension of sentences cannot be heard without issuing notices on the appeals. He suggested that the defense should begin presenting arguments on the appeals if they wished to do so.

Barrister Salman Safdar strongly objected, noting that the sentences were handed down in January 2025, and nearly 14 months have passed with repeated delays requested by the prosecution. He emphasized that Bushra Bibi was on bail during the trial and now has valid medical grounds for relief. Safdar clarified that they were only seeking suspension of sentences and release on bail, not arguments on the main appeal.

The prosecutor maintained that the suspension requests were not listed for hearing, prompting Chief Justice Dogar to ask if two days per week could suffice for the arguments. Safdar explained that the defense had been denied access to the clients for the past five months, preventing them from obtaining necessary instructions for presenting their case. He further highlighted repeated arrests of the PTI founder and claimed NAB was unwilling to hear the bail requests, despite women usually receiving bail within 15 days in NAB cases.

The court allowed the defense to take two days per week for arguments but, upon Safdar’s request for additional time to consult with the clients, postponed the hearing until Monday.