IHC orders lawyer’s meeting with Imran, Bushra amid health concerns
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday directed authorities to arrange meetings between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi, and their lawyers after concerns were raised over their health in jail.
During a hearing on Tuesday, Imran Khan’s lawyer, Barrister Salman Safdar, informed the court that his client was experiencing high blood pressure in prison and warned of the risk of a brain haemorrhage.
A two-member bench, comprising IHC Chief Justice Sardar Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif, was hearing appeals filed by Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi against their convictions in the £190 million case.
The hearing also witnessed heated exchanges between the defence lawyers and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor.
At the outset, PTI lawyer Latif Khosa told the court that despite an earlier order allowing meetings with his clients in jail, he had not yet been granted access to them.
The chief justice clarified that the previous order had specifically authorised a meeting with Barrister Salman Safdar, not Khosa.
The court subsequently asked the Islamabad advocate general whether arrangements could be made for Khosa to meet Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi within the next one or two days.
The chief justice observed that the court wanted any obstacles preventing the meetings to be removed.
Health concerns raised in court
During the proceedings, the health conditions of both Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi came under discussion.
Barrister Salman Safdar told the court that Imran Khan’s eye condition had shown some improvement, but his blood pressure remained an issue. He also warned the court about the risk of a brain haemorrhage.
Regarding Bushra Bibi’s health, Safdar said her eye condition was extremely serious and that an apparent injury was also visible.
He said she had been taken for surgery six months earlier and was expected to undergo another operation on November 15.
Arguing that adequate treatment could not be provided to her in prison, the lawyer requested that she be granted bail on medical grounds and that a medical board be constituted to assess her condition.
However, the Islamabad advocate general rejected the allegations and submitted a report to the court, maintaining that the government was fulfilling its responsibilities and providing Bushra Bibi with all possible medical facilities in prison.
He informed the court that a medical board had also examined her on November 8, adding that the Supreme Court’s directives were being fully implemented.
Lawyers seek time to prepare appeals
Speaking about the case, Barrister Salman Safdar told the court that he had met Imran Khan after seven months and Bushra Bibi after 11 months.
He added that he had now received formal instructions from his clients to present arguments in their appeals.
He requested additional time to review the case papers and prepare arguments.
The NAB prosecutor opposed the request, maintaining that the accused had been engaged in a prolonged campaign to malign the accountability bureau and were now seeking further delays.
Chief Justice Dogar observed that more than a year had passed since the appeals were filed. However, he said the court was willing to provide the defence with reasonable time to prepare its case.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the bench observed that the commencement of final arguments in the appeals had become inevitable.
Court orders one-hour meeting
The Islamabad High Court ordered that Latif Khosa be allowed to meet Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi in prison for at least one hour.
The court directed the Islamabad advocate general to make arrangements for the meeting as soon as possible so that formal arguments on the appeals could begin next week.
The court further ordered that proceedings in the case should continue according to the agreed schedule.