IHC fixes March 11 hearing on Imran, Bushra sentence suspension pleas

ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) - The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday scheduled for hearing the petitions seeking suspension of former prime minister Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi’s sentences in the £190 million corruption case.

During proceedings, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Azam Khan expressed displeasure when dozens of lawyers affiliated with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) stood up and approached the rostrum at the same time.

'What is this? Are you trying to influence the court?' the chief justice remarked.

Imran Khan’s counsel, Salman Sardar, responded that there was no such intention.

He argued that the matter had gained urgency due to the former premier’s sudden illness and eye infection.

He further submitted that Bushra Bibi, despite being a woman, was serving a seven-year sentence and that her suspension plea had been fixed after six months.

Counsel urged the court to suspend the sentence, noting that the last order had been passed on November 9.

Chief Justice Dogar observed that most miscellaneous civil applications seeking early hearings had become infructuous but ordered that office objections on the suspension petitions be overruled.

Barrister Sardar then requested that the matter be fixed for hearing next week.

However, the chief justice directed the registrar’s office to schedule both the suspension petitions and the main criminal appeals for March 11, adjourning further proceedings.

In a related development, Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro removed office objections on the petitions seeking suspension of sentences in the Toshakhana case concerning an expensive Bulgari jewellery set.

The court directed the registrar’s office to number the petitions and appeals against the convictions of Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi and fix them for hearing in line with court policy.