Islamabad high court accepts Imran, Bushra, Qureshi's appeals for hearing

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad high court (IHC) has accepted appeals from former Prime Minister Imran Khan, his spouse Bushra Bibi, and former minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi regarding their convictions in the cipher and Toshakhana cases, reported by Dawn.

The court has called for records related to the trial court proceedings by March 7.

In the cipher case, Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi were sentenced to 10 years, while in the Toshakhana case, Imran Khan and his spouse received 14 years each. The IHC division bench, led by Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, heard the appeals.

Barrister Syed Ali Zafar and Barrister Salman Safdar represented Imran Khan in the cipher case. Barrister Safdar argued serious anomalies in the procedure, emphasizing that the Special Court bypassed the law and deprived the PTI leaders of defense remedies.

The appeal claimed that the proceedings were rushed through, lacking fairness, and concluded in less than 20 days. It further highlighted the trial's shift to a "secret room."

In the Toshakhana case, Barrister Zafar argued that the accountability court convicted the ex-PM and his spouse without granting the right to cross-examine prosecution witnesses.

The IHC also addressed applications seeking suspension of sentences until the final adjudication of the main appeals, overruling objections raised by the registrar's office. The high court issued notices to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and adjourned further proceedings to March 7.

Simultaneously, another IHC bench issued notice to the NAB regarding the post-arrest bail plea in the 190 million pounds corruption case filed by PTI founder Imran Khan and his wife, challenging the trial court's decision.