Pakistan court delays Imran Khan graft appeal after lawyers move top court

A Pakistani court postponed on Monday hearings on appeals by former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, against their convictions in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust graft case.

The Islamabad High Court granted a two-week adjournment after Khan's lawyers said they had separately challenged the court's earlier ruling before the Supreme Court.

Why was Imran Khan's appeal hearing delayed?

The Islamabad High Court adjourned the case for two weeks after Khan's defense lawyers argued that opening arguments on the main appeals could weaken their separate plea before the Supreme Court. That plea seeks to suspend the sentences handed to Khan and Bushra Bibi. The lawyers said they needed more time to prepare and consult their clients before proceeding.

A two-member bench led by Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Mohammad Asif heard the appeals alongside related petitions. These included complaints from Khan's lawyers about delays in obtaining signed powers of attorney from the jailed former premier and his wife. Khan's lawyer, Barrister Salman Safdar, told the court he had filed an appeal in the Supreme Court earlier that day against the high court's rejection of their sentence suspension requests. He sought additional time before substantive hearings could begin.

Safdar argued that proceeding with the high court arguments at this stage would undermine the Supreme Court petition. He said he had not received instructions from his clients to begin arguing the main appeals and needed further consultation. Safdar also told the court that, following a court order, he had been allowed to meet Khan after 75 days, and that he had filed contempt petitions on June 15 alleging prison authorities had failed to provide the required signed powers of attorney.

What did the court rule on the contempt petitions?

Safdar said he had only been handed documents needed to challenge the high court's ruling in the Supreme Court, while other authorization papers remained pending. The court questioned whether the signed documents had already been received. Government lawyers said the powers of attorney had been signed before the previous hearing and accused the defense of failing to update the court.

Chief Justice Dogar ruled that the contempt petitions had become ineffective and dismissed them. He criticized the defense, saying the court could not be pressured, and warned that prosecutors from Pakistan's National Accountability Bureau would proceed if the defense declined to argue. The court then directed NAB prosecutors to begin presenting their arguments, noting the defense had yet to start submissions despite earlier directions.

Senior lawyer Sardar Latif Khosa later requested two weeks to meet Khan and prepare the case. He assured the court the defense would be ready to argue at the next hearing, and the court accepted the request, adjourning proceedings for two weeks.

Khan, founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, has been in jail since August 2023 and faces multiple legal cases. He and Bushra Bibi were convicted in early 2025 in the £190 million case, which centers on allegations linked to a settlement involving funds recovered by Britain's National Crime Agency. Khan has denied any wrongdoing, and his party says the cases against him are politically motivated.