ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court on Thursday issued notices to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and others in response to applications seeking suspension of sentences awarded to PTI founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the £190 million corruption case.

An IHC division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Sardar Mohammad Sarfaraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif directed the case be fixed for hearing next week following a request by senior lawyer Sardar Latif Khosa.

The courtroom witnessed the presence of a high-profile legal team of the PTI, including Salman Akram Raja, Barrister Syed Ali Zafar, Niazullah Khan Niazi and Shoaib Shaheen, as well as PTI leaders Aleema Khan, Asad Qaiser, Shandana Gulzar, Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry and Nadia Khattak.

An accountability court in Islamabad had sentenced the former prime minister and Bushra Bibi to 14 and seven years in prison, respectively, on Jan 17 this year.

Directs case be fixed for hearing next week

In their appeal against the conviction, the former prime minister’s legal team highlighted significant procedural irregularities, withholding of key evidence, and political victimisation.

The defence pointed to a November 2021 judgement from the UK Court of Appeal which, they argued, clearly established that the disputed £190 million was not proceeds of crime.

The funds, part of a settlement between the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) and property tycoon Malik Riaz Hussain, were to be transferred to the Supreme Court under a legally binding arrangement.

The appeal criticised NAB for failing to produce witnesses from the NCA or present credible documentation to establish the wrongdoing.

The defence also challenged the authenticity of a “confidentiality deed” presented by NAB, describing it as unverified and unsupported by forensic validation. Lawyers argued that the deed was procedural in nature and not indicative of any criminal activity.

Mr Khan’s petition said there was no evidence of personal financial gain and that the funds in question were deposited into the Al-Qadir University Trust — a legally registered entity for educational purposes.

“The prosecution’s own evidence confirms that no donations or monetary benefits were received personally by Mr Khan or his wife,” the appeal stated.

Furthermore, the petition accused NAB of a politically motivated investigation, highlighting the selective targeting of the PTI founder while omitting six other implicated individuals.

Bushra Bibi, who is serving a seven-year sentence in the same case, filed a separate appeal saying that the case against her lacked credible evidence and it was rooted in a political vendetta.

Her legal team referenced the testimony of the Chief Financial Officer (PW-5) of Al-Qadir Trust, who reportedly confirmed that neither she nor her husband gained any financial advantage from the Trust.

Later, talking to journalists outside the courtroom, Barrister Syed Ali Zafar confirmed that Barrister Gohar Ali Khan recently held a meeting with the party’s founder. The development comes amid growing speculation about possible negotiations between PTI and the government.

Barrister Zafar acknowledged there has been media buzz regarding the PTI founder’s openness to dialogue. However, he clarified that Barrister Gohar has neither confirmed nor denied reports of potential talks, stressing that any communication with the PTI founder remains confidential.

“The matter has not yet been discussed in our core committee,” Mr Zafar said. “Imran Khan, the founder of PTI, has consistently maintained that the current government is not legitimate. Any decisions or directions regarding negotiations will be made only after clear instructions are received from both Barrister Gohar and the party founder.”

Mr Zafar reiterated that PTI remains united for Pakistan and it is open to dialogue, but any formal talks will depend entirely on the directives of the party’s top leadership.

“If the PTI founder instructs us to engage in talks, then we will move forward accordingly,” he said.

Aleema Khan, the sister of Imran Khan, on the other hand, strongly rejected reports suggesting her brother has agreed to initiate talks with the government. Speaking to the media outside the Islamabad High Court, she said such claims were baseless and fabricated.

“I don’t understand where this news came from,” she said, referring to the alleged backchannel negotiations.

Published in Dawn, May 16th, 2025