Islamabad High Court (IHC) has received a petition from former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan alleging a deliberate delay in legal proceedings and denial of access to his legal counsel for over three months. The application seeks permission for Khan to meet with his lawyers regarding his appeal in the £190 million case.
Imran Khan Alleges Deliberate Delays in £190 Million Case
The miscellaneous application, filed Saturday through Barrister Salman Safdar, names the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman, the inspector general of Punjab Prisons, and the superintendent of Adiala Jail as respondents. It requests an immediate and uninterrupted meeting between Khan and his legal team.
According to the application, Khan has been unable to meet meaningfully with his counsel since December 20, 2025 – a period of three months and 12 days – effectively depriving him of legal access.
The application states that hearings on a suspension of sentence application have been held on 16 separate dates since March 19, 2025, but alleges that NAB’s actions are deliberately obstructing the case’s progress and thwarting efforts by lawyers to meet with their client.
The petition invokes Jail Rules, 1978, and Articles 9, 10-A, and 14 of the Constitution of Pakistan, asserting that the right to legal counsel is a fundamental right. It argues that restricting inmate access to lawyers, family, and friends violates both prison rules and basic human rights.
The application calls for a court order allowing both Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, to meet with their counsel for legal consultation and preparation of their pending appeal, safeguarding their constitutional rights.
Lawyers for Bushra Bibi also recently petitioned the IHC seeking a ruling for the suspension of her sentence in the same £190 million case, prior to the hearing of her appeal. That application contends that bail-related matters should be prioritized, as per Supreme Court directives.
In January of last year, an Islamabad accountability court sentenced Imran Khan to 14 years and Bushra Bibi to seven years in prison in the £190 million case, filed by NAB.
The case centers around allegations that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi used the Al-Qadir Trust, established in 2018, as a front to receive land worth millions of dollars from a real estate tycoon. The government alleges that donations were exchanged for favorable treatment regarding repatriated UK funds, which should have been deposited into Pakistan’s treasury. Imran Khan denies any wrongdoing, maintaining that neither he nor his wife profited from the trust or related transactions.
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