IHC orders Imran lawyer meeting, signals faster £190m appeal
The Islamabad High Court moved a closely watched corruption case forward on Tuesday by directing jail authorities to arrange a consultation between former prime minister Imran Khan and his lawyer in the £190 million reference. The order came during proceedings on petitions filed by Imran and his wife, Bushra Bibi, seeking suspension of their sentences, turning the hearing into one of the day’s most important political and legal developments in Pakistan.
A division bench headed by Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar, along with Justice Muhammad Asif, heard the matter in Islamabad. During the hearing, Barrister Salman Safdar told the court he needed to consult his client before the defence could proceed further. The chief justice responded by asking when the meeting should take place, and after the defence requested a 2pm slot for the following day, the bench instructed the authorities to make the arrangement.
The court did more than simply approve a lawyer-client meeting. It also indicated that the main appeals against conviction may now move on a faster track. The chief justice signalled that once arguments begin properly, the court could resolve the matter within a short period and suggested that the appeal be fixed for hearing on two days each week. That remark was notable because the case has already seen repeated delays, and PTI leaders have publicly complained that the legal process has been moving too slowly.
Safdar, however, asked the bench not to push ahead formally until he had spoken with Imran in jail. He also pressed the court to first decide the sentence suspension applications, particularly in Bushra Bibi’s case. After hearing both sides, the bench adjourned proceedings until April 9. The scheduling is politically sensitive because access to Imran at Adiala jail has remained a recurring point of dispute, with PTI repeatedly objecting to restrictions on meetings involving family members, party leaders and legal counsel.
The case itself remains one of the most consequential accountability matters linked to the former premier. Often referred to as the Al-Qadir Trust case, it centres on allegations that Imran and Bushra obtained major financial and land-related benefits from Bahria Town Ltd in exchange for helping regularise Rs50 billion that had been identified and returned to Pakistan by the United Kingdom during the PTI government. The matter has carried heavy political weight because it combines questions of public office, state recovery of funds and the use of influence at the top of government.
An accountability court had sentenced Imran to 14 years in prison and Bushra Bibi to seven years on January 17, 2025. Both challenged those convictions before the Islamabad High Court later that month. Imran was already in custody before that judgment, having been imprisoned since August 2023 in connection with other legal matters, including the concealment of details related to Toshakhana gifts. He was also convicted in another Toshakhana case in late 2025 and continues to face additional proceedings tied to the May 9 unrest.
The latest hearing matters well beyond the courtroom because every legal development surrounding Imran Khan continues to shape the national political climate. PTI has argued that the former premier is being denied timely justice and that procedural restrictions, including limits on access to counsel, deepen mistrust in the system. The government and prosecution side, meanwhile, have maintained that the case is proceeding through established judicial channels. That clash of narratives has ensured that even procedural orders in the case quickly become politically charged.
Tuesday’s order is therefore significant on two levels. On the immediate level, it secures a direct legal consultation that the defence said was necessary before arguments could continue. On the broader level, it suggests that the high court may now be willing to impose a more disciplined timetable on a case that has remained under intense public scrutiny for months. The indication that the appeals could be heard on a regular weekly schedule may raise expectations among both supporters and critics that the matter is entering a decisive phase.
The next milestone will come on April 9, when the court resumes hearing the case after the approved jail meeting between Imran and his lawyer. That consultation is expected to shape the defence strategy on whether to focus first on suspension of sentence, the main appeal, or both in parallel. With the bench openly signalling interest in moving faster, the coming hearings could prove critical in determining whether one of Pakistan’s most politically sensitive corruption cases finally begins moving toward a substantive resolution.