Apetition has been moved to Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday for early hearing of plea seeking suspension of Bushra Bibi’s seven years imprisonment sentence in 190 million pounds case.
The petitioner took the position that according to judicial policy, bail and suspension of sentence applications are heard on a priority basis. The petitioner’s case is being put on the back burner without justification, not setting Bushra Bibi’s case is contrary to the Women Protection Act and Supreme Court decisions.
Bushra Bibi has requested to set the application for early hearing on suspension of sentence. NAB has been made a party in the application. The accountability court sentenced Bushra Bibi to seven years in prison while the founder of PTI was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
Separately, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has directed jail authorities to facilitate a meeting between senior lawyer Salman Akram Raja and PTI founder Imran Khan today. Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir issued the directive during the hearing of a petition seeking to block the PTI founder’s X (formerly Twitter) account. Raja appeared on behalf of Imran Khan, while Khan’s sister Aleema Khan was also present in court.
During proceedings, jail authorities submitted their report, copies of which the court ordered to be provided to all parties. The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency requested additional time to submit its response. Advocate Salman Akram Raja informed the court that he could not proceed without consulting his client, stating, “I don’t have access to the PTI founder; I can only respond after discussing the matter with him.”
Justice Arbab inquired whether Raja had the authority to proceed independently. Raja replied that he needed to personally consult with Imran Khan. Raja further complained that despite the IHC full bench’s earlier verbal order, he had not been allowed to meet Khan. Justice Arbab clarified that while the bench had indeed given directions, Raja might not have received the written order.
The court then instructed jail officials to ensure that Salman Akram Raja meets with the PTI founder. When the lawyer requested that the meeting be arranged today, Justice Arbab agreed, directing the Deputy Attorney General and state counsel to immediately notify the jail authorities via phone. Raja remarked that despite previous court orders, meetings had not been allowed, adding, “We will keep trying-one day this door will open. For the past seven to eight months, court orders have been continuously ignored.”