Islamabad, November 10,2026: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday directed jail authorities to facilitate meetings between lawyers Latif Khosa and Salman Safdar and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, at Adiala jail.
The direction came during the hearing of appeals filed by Imran and Bushra against their convictions in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case. Attorney General of Pakistan Mansoor Usman Awan told the court that the meetings could be arranged if the lawyers assured it that arguments in the appeals would commence at the next hearing.
A division bench comprising IHC Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif heard the appeals.
An accountability court had sentenced Imran to 14 years in prison and imposed a fine of Rs1 million, while Bushra Bibi was handed a seven-year prison term and fined Rs500,000.
During Tuesday’s hearing, Khosa told the court that he had repeatedly sought permission to meet Imran but had not been allowed to do so.
The chief justice asked how much time he required for the meeting. Khosa requested at least an hour, following which the court directed the Islamabad Advocate General to arrange meetings with Imran and Bushra.
Safdar also sought another meeting with the PTI founder, saying his previous interaction had provided some instructions but was insufficient for preparing the appeals. He informed the court that he had met Imran after seven months and Bushra after 11 months.
Safdar told the court that Imran had informed him his eyesight had improved, but his blood pressure remained uncontrolled, potentially exposing him to the risk of a brain haemorrhage.
He also expressed concern over Bushra Bibi’s eyesight, describing her condition as serious. According to Safdar, she had told him that another operation was scheduled for November 15.
The lawyer requested the formation of a medical board to examine Bushra, arguing that her treatment could not be properly managed in jail.
The Islamabad Advocate General, however, informed the court that she was receiving medical care and presented records of the facilities being provided to her.
The IHC chief justice observed that health-related matters were pending before the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC). Safdar disputed this, maintaining that no matter concerning Bushra was pending before the FCC.
The court also discussed the preparation of paper books for the appeals. Safdar said the relevant documents had not yet been provided to the defence, making it difficult for the lawyers to prepare their arguments.
The IHC chief justice granted the defence additional time to prepare and urged Khosa to begin arguments in the £190 million case at the next hearing.
Background of the Al-Qadir Trust case
The Al-Qadir Trust case, commonly referred to as the £190 million case, concerns allegations that Imran Khan and others facilitated the adjustment of Rs50 billion, equivalent to £190 million at the time, which had been transferred by Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to the Government of Pakistan in 2019.
The amount was linked to assets of a Pakistani property tycoon seized by the NCA. The British agency had stated that the settlement with the property tycoon was a civil matter and did not represent a finding of guilt.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed a reference in December 2023 and subsequently brought charges against Imran and Bushra on February 27, 2024. NAB alleged that a settlement with the British agency had been approved by Imran, then prime minister, on December 3, 2019, without disclosure of the details of the confidential agreement.
