ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday directed the Advocate General Islamabad to arrange a meeting between former prime minister Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi, and their legal counsel within seven days to facilitate the filing and prosecution of appeals against their convictions in the £190 million reference.
A division bench comprising IHC Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif resumed hearing appeals challenging the convictions awarded by an accountability court in the high-profile National Accountability Bureau (NAB) reference.
During the hearing, Imran Khan’s counsel Barrister Salman Safdar informed the court that despite repeated attempts, he had been unable to meet his client, who is currently incarcerated at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail.
He said that due to the lack of access, he was unable to obtain instructions from Imran Khan or secure a signed vakalatnama (power of attorney) required for pursuing the appeals.
The counsel told the court that jail authorities had repeatedly denied him permission to meet the former prime minister. He added that NAB had recently filed an application arguing that the petitions seeking suspension of sentences had become ineffective or were no longer maintainable after the main appeals against the convictions were fixed for hearing.
Safdar argued that without instructions from his client, he could not effectively represent the case before the court.
Referring to a recent Supreme Court judgment, he said the apex court had provided relief in a similar post-conviction matter and maintained that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were also entitled to seek similar relief.
The lawyer further informed the bench that his last meeting with Bushra Bibi had taken place in December last year, while all subsequent requests for access had been rejected by prison authorities.
Chief Justice Dogar questioned why the advocate general was absent and observed that the law officer was responsible for ensuring that lawyers were allowed to meet incarcerated clients whenever required for court proceedings.
During the hearing, Safdar said that the prosecution had already changed its legal representatives, while he was still unable to obtain fresh instructions from his client.
“I have no instructions from Imran. He has the right to change his lawyer if he so desires,” the counsel told the court.
The chief justice recalled that the court had previously intervened to facilitate a meeting between the PTI founder and his lawyers, which had later taken place.
CJ Dogar asked Safdar whether he had a signed vakalatnama authorising him to represent Imran Khan in the appeals.
Safdar replied that he did not have one and clarified that he had only been engaged for the suspension of sentence petitions.
He argued that prison authorities had denied him access in a way that appeared intended to make the proceedings time-barred.
Expressing concern, Chief Justice Dogar remarked that preventing access to legal counsel was unfortunate and could affect the administration of justice.
The bench then directed the Advocate General Islamabad to ensure meetings between Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi, and their legal counsel within seven days so that necessary legal requirements, including signing of the vakalatnama and obtaining instructions, could be completed.
The court postponed further proceedings until after the meetings and completion of the required authorisation process.
Imran Khan, who has been imprisoned since August 5, 2023, is serving a 14-year sentence at Adiala Jail in the £190 million case, also known as the Al-Qadir Trust case.
An accountability court in Islamabad sentenced Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi to 14 years and seven years in prison, respectively, on January 17, 2025, in the case. Both later challenged their convictions before the IHC.
The case alleges that the couple received billions of rupees and hundreds of kanals of land from Bahria Town Ltd in exchange for facilitating the legalisation of Rs50 billion identified and returned to Pakistan by the United Kingdom during the PTI government.