ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday rejected objections raised by the Registrar’s Office on petitions seeking suspension of sentences of former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, in the £190 million reference and directed the registrar to assign diary numbers to the appeals, paving the way for formal hearing.

A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Sardar Mohammad Sarfaraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif issued the directive after hearing arguments from the petitioners’ legal team.

During the proceedings, Advocate Latif Khosa strongly objected to the registrar’s actions and said: “In my 38 years of legal practice, I have never witnessed such objections on appeals for sentence suspension — not in Islamabad, Lahore, or any other high court.”

He urged the court to address procedural hurdles that unfairly burden the petitioners. Justice Dogar responded that once the petitions are assigned numbers, the matter will proceed accordingly.

LHC adjourns hearing on bail petitions of ex-PM, wife in eight May 9 cases

The courtroom saw the presence of the PTI founder’s sisters — Aleema Khan, Noreen Khanum, and Dr Uzma — along with several senior PTI leaders.

Bail petitions’ hearing adjourned

Separately, the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday adjourned the hearing on bail petitions of PTI founding chairman Imran Khan in eight cases of May 9 riots including Jinnah House attack.

Barrister Salman Safdar, the counsel for the PTI’s former chairman, stated before a two-judge bench that the prosecution wanted further remand of his client.

“How can they seek remand at this stage?” he questioned, saying the Supreme Court had also disposed of all petitions related to the remand.

He pointed out that the Supreme Court had dismissed the prosecution’s plea to conduct investigations of Imran Khan after a delay of two years.

“They [prosecution] have tested our patience enough. I want to complete my arguments today,” Barrister Safdar told the bench.

A prosecutor said an application had been filed before the trial court seeking permission to conduct a polygraph and photogrammetric tests of the accused.

The petitioner’s counsel said the prosecution’s application had only been filed recently and they did not know when it would be decided.

The prosecutor sought time to present the Supreme Court ruling against granting remand of the PTI founder.

Barrister Safdar said he did not object when the prosecution sought time, but they were deliberately not completing their arguments.

The bench, headed by Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi, adjourned the hearing till May 15 and directed both sides to present their arguments.

Earlier, an antiterrorism court had on Nov 27, 2024 denied bail to the former prime minister in the eight cases.

The bail petitions mainly argue that the prosecution failed to establish the petitioner’s association with the unfortunate incidents narrated in the FIRs.

They say the petitioner has been implicated in the May 9 cases as a result of a well-orchestrated plan merely to harass and humiliate him for political reasons even though admittedly he was in the custody of the NAB.

The sole allegation against the petitioner in the cases is of ‘abetment’, which has been supplemented by the prosecution most vaguely, the pleas add.

They argue that the trial judge overlooked the fact that frivolous and baseless allegations related to the May 9 events have already been rejected due to inconsistencies in the story of the investigating agency.

The petitions ask the LHC to set aside the trial court’s decision and grant bail to the former prime minister in the eight FIRs.

Published in Dawn, May 9th, 2025