IHC to hear Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi’s pleas against conviction in £190m case

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court has fixed for hearing on March 11 the appeals filed by former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi against their conviction in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust corruption case, after legal objections to their petitions were cleared or time was granted to address them

IHC division bench consisting of Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Azam Khan on Thursday heard miscellaneous applications by Khan’s legal team seeking early hearings of the petitions, which have languished pending for nearly a year.

Barrister Salman Safdar told the court that the registrar’s office had flagged technical objections such as old power of attorney documents and improperly flagged pages, creating procedural confusion. The bench directed that the remaining clerical issues be rectified within seven days.

The court scheduled a March 11 hearing to take up the couple’s appeals against conviction and their applications seeking suspension of their sentences.

Khan and Bushra were convicted in January 2025 in a case involving alleged misuse of authority and financial irregularities tied to the Al-Qadir Trust, a non-profit they established.

He received a 14-year prison term while Bushra was sentenced to seven years.

Their legal team has argued the convictions were based on weak evidence and procedural lapses, and has sought suspension of the sentences on both legal and medical grounds, including Khan’s reported eye condition.

During Thursday’s proceedings, the bench expressed irritation at a crowd of lawyers approaching the rostrum en masse and questioned whether they were trying to influence the court. Salman Safdar denied any such intent.

The court also addressed related appeals in the Toshakhana-II case, involving allegations the couple unlawfully retained a Bulgari jewellery set; objections to those petitions were similarly withdrawn and the appeals were ordered to be numbered for future fixing.