Claims that repeated adjournments have caused injury to petitioner and defeated the purpose of interim relief
Imran Khan and wife Bushra Bibi. Photo: File
Bushra Bibi, wife of jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, on Saturday filed a further application in the Islamabad High Court for an early ruling on her pending plea for suspension of sentence and release on bail in the £190 million case.
Bushra Bibi was moved back to Adiala prison on Friday after a crucial eye operation in Rawalpindi, as concerns over her health continue to ripple through political circles. According to prison officials, ophthalmologists have diagnosed retinal detachment, a condition that requires immediate intervention. She was shifted to a private hospital on Thursday evening, where she underwent pre-operative tests and subsequently consented to surgery. The procedure was performed by Professor Dr. Nadeem Qureshi along with a medical panel after which she was discharged after an overnight stay and returned to custody.
Concerns about her condition had already grown after a document dated March 28 surfaced online indicating that a doctor at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences had examined her and noted a “history of blurred vision and a black spot in the right eye for the past 11 days”.
Today’s application, filed through Barrister Salman Safdar, also requests the court to grant access to Bushra Bibi by her lawyers and family members, citing medical concerns following her eye surgery.
It states that the petitioner, a 54-year-old woman and a member of a vulnerable section of society, has been imprisoned for more than a year following her conviction in the Al-Qadir Trust case. It adds that she has already appealed her conviction and sentence along with an application for a stay of sentence under section 426 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
Read: Bushra Bibi undergoes eye surgery, returns to Adiala after an overnight stay in hospital: the prison authorities
The plea notes that notices on the suspension application were issued by the court on May 15, 2025, but the case has since faced “abnormal, continuous and inexplicable delay”. It further alleges repeated adjournments and what it describes as obstructive conduct by the National Accountability Bureau, which it says has caused harm to the petitioner and defeated the purpose of interim relief.
According to the application, Bushra Bibi recently underwent an eye surgery at Al Shifa Eye Hospital in Rawalpindi. It alleges that no family member was informed prior to the procedure and argues that it is legally necessary to notify both counsel and family in such circumstances.
The plea states that failure to provide such information could pose a risk to her life and well-being. It adds that the family was later informed and met her in prison, where she was observed wearing dark glasses during the meeting.
It further states that according to the family, her medical condition appears to be serious, while no details have been provided by doctors or prison authorities so far.
Also read: Bushra Bibi requests IHC for urgent relief
The application also notes that Bushra Bibi is serving a seven-year sentence, which it describes as comparatively less severe, and claims that prison authorities did not allow her access despite a court order.
Citing her deteriorating medical condition, continued denial of access, and principles governing issues of liberty, the plea asks the court to hear and rule on the suspension of the criminal application on priority and merit in the interests of justice and fair play.
Background
Imran and Bushra Bibi face a £190m graft case linked to the Al-Qadir Trust, a charity they set up in 2018. The trust, which runs a university outside Islamabad focusing on spirituality and Islamic teachings, is accused of being used as a front to receive land worth millions of dollars from a property tycoon.
The government claims the donations were in exchange for Imran’s administration using repatriated British funds to pay fines against the businessman instead of depositing the money in Pakistan’s treasury.
Imran has denied any wrongdoing and insisted that neither he nor his wife profited financially from the trust or related transactions. In his written reply to the IHC, he claimed that the case was politically motivated, alleging that a corruption reference against Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz led to a fabricated case against Bushra Bibi.
He challenged the prosecution’s evidence, highlighted inconsistencies in witness statements and accused the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) of destroying important records related to political leaders.
Imran has argued that amendments to the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO), 1999 shield cabinet decisions from prosecution unless there is evidence of personal gain. The IHC has recognized the “substance” of this claim and asked the trial court to consider it while deciding the case.
He subsequently filed a civil application in the IHC seeking a hearing of his appeal of the accountability judgment which convicted him and his wife in the £190m corruption case.
