ISLAMABAD: The Isla­mabad High Court on Thu­­rsday accepted a petition seeking an early hearing on the suspension of sentences for former pri­me minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, in a £190 million corruption case and ordered federal agencies to submit fresh reports on all cases registered against him.

A division bench comp­r­ising Chief Justice Sardar Mohammad Sarfaraz Do­­gar and Justice Moham­mad Azam Khan approved the plea for an expedited hearing on the couple’s sentence suspension applications.

Barrister Salman Safdar, counsel for Imran, argued that the petitions had not been scheduled despite five dates being fixed due to repeated delays from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

“Sometimes the Bureau does not appoint a pro-secutor and sometimes it seeks more time,” the barrister said.

He stressed that while neither Imran nor his wife had ever sought relief on medical grounds, Bibi is currently unwell. Noting the couple had been acquitted or granted bail in all other cases, he requested the applications be decided without delay “to meet the requirements of justice”.

IHC orders NAB and FIA to submit fresh reports on all cases against the PTI founder

Chief Justice Dogar said the court had already directed the office to fix the case and assured that a report would be called. The bench then ordered that the suspension petitions be scheduled for an early hearing.

In a separate proceeding, Justice Mohammad Azam Khan heard petitions filed by Imran seeking to obtain a complete list of all cases against him.

Barrister Salman told the court that 127 cases had been filed against his client over the last two years but clarity was needed on their status. He requested the formation of a larger bench, citing precedents in politically sensitive cases.

“NAB and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) continue to issue notices even after this petition was filed two years ago. Instead of any improvement, the number of cases has increased,” he argued, calling the actions “politically motivated” and unconstitutional.

NAB’s Special Prosecutor Rafay Maqsood opposed the request for a larger bench, contending there was “no basis” for such an order because the bureau maintains a complete record and can provide it to the court.

Justice Azam Khan said a decision on forming a larger bench would be made after the authorities submit their reports. He directed NAB, the FIA and the police to file fresh reports on all pending cases against Mr Khan and adjourned the matter indefinitely.

Published in Dawn, September 12th, 2025