IHC adjourns Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi appeals for 10 days, orders lawyer access

The Islamabad High Court on Tuesday adjourned for ten days the appeals of former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi against their convictions in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case, according to Daily Times.

Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar directed federal authorities to arrange formal meetings between the couple and their legal team immediately. The division bench said the adjournment would let defence lawyers review case documents and consult their clients in prison.

State prosecutors agreed to arrange a structured meeting between lead counsel Sardar Latif Khan Khosa and Imran Khan. The court ordered at least one hour of legal consultation between Khosa, Salman Safdar and Imran Khan, and authorised Safdar to meet Bushra Bibi to assess her health and plan legal strategy.

Safdar told the court that restricted access to his clients had hindered preparation. The defence said the reference involves about 3,500 pages of documents and 35 witness testimonies, and asked the court registry for complete paper books. The Chief Justice ordered the court administration to deliver all official paper books to the defence before the next hearing.

According to Daily Pakistan, Safdar also said he had never before filed an affidavit in any case, that his affidavit was before the court, and that Imran Khan's blood pressure was 192 with a risk of brain haemorrhage. He said he still needed clear instructions on whether to pursue the appeals of both or only one of the prisoners.

Daily Times reported that Safdar said Bushra Bibi has a severe eye infection needing immediate specialist evaluation, and the defence asked for temporary bail so she could be treated at an outside facility. Islamabad Advocate General Naveed Hayat Malik said prison authorities provide adequate medical care to convicted prisoners.

The Chief Justice said the appeals were now before the court, while matters of health and meetings were pending before the Federal Constitutional Court. The court said medical relief applications remain under review before the appropriate forums. Federal authorities promised to comply with the directions on legal access and paper books.

The case concerns the Al-Qadir Trust land settlement involving 50 billion rupees returned by the United Kingdom government. NAB prosecutors allege the couple illegally acquired hundreds of kanals of land from a real estate firm. In January 2025 an accountability court sentenced Imran Khan to 14 years and Bushra Bibi to seven years.