- Islamabad High Court dismissed contempt pleas after powers of attorney signed.
- Court granted final two-week adjournment for Al-Qadir Trust case arguments.
- IHC cleared objections on solitary confinement petitions; maintainability pending.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday dismissed contempt of court petitions filed by former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, after observing that the powers of attorney required for their appeals had been duly signed. At the same time, the court granted the defence a final two-week adjournment to begin arguments in the couple’s appeals against their convictions in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust corruption case. In a separate development, another IHC bench cleared procedural objections to petitions challenging the couple’s alleged solitary confinement.
Contempt Pleas Dismissed
A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfaraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif heard the appeals against the convictions handed down in the Al-Qadir Trust case.
The bench noted that the powers of attorney, which had formed the basis of the contempt petitions, had now been executed. As a result, the court ruled that the contempt petitions had become infructuous and dismissed them.
The judges then directed the defence to begin arguments in the main appeals. However, defence counsel sought additional time, citing a pending appeal before Pakistan’s Supreme Court. After requests from senior lawyers, including PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Advocate Latif Khosa, the court granted a final two-week adjournment and warned that no further delays would be entertained.
Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were sentenced in January 2025 to 14 and seven years’ imprisonment, respectively, in the National Accountability Bureau’s £190 million corruption reference.
Solitary Confinement Petitions
In a separate hearing, Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro removed registry objections to petitions challenging the alleged solitary confinement of Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi.
The petitions, filed by Khan’s sister Aleema Khan and Bushra Bibi’s daughter Mubashara Khawar Maneka, alleged that the couple had been kept in prolonged isolation and denied access to family members, lawyers and basic facilities.
The court directed that both petitions be formally registered and ruled that the question of their maintainability would be decided during judicial proceedings rather than at the registry stage. On the defence’s request, the matter was adjourned until Tuesday for further hearing.
Pakistani authorities have not publicly responded to the allegations of solitary confinement. The petitions continue to challenge the legality of the couple’s detention conditions while their appeals against conviction remain pending before the Islamabad High Court.
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