What happened
Former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, moved the Islamabad High Court on Friday 3 April 2026, seeking the urgent fixation of their appeals against conviction in the Toshakhana-I case and the suspension of sentence in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case. In petitions filed under Section 561-A of the Code of Criminal Procedure, the couple also asked the court to direct jail authorities to allow unhindered meetings with their legal team, Pakistan Today reported.
The appeals challenge a judgment delivered on 31 January 2024 by Accountability Court No. 1 in Islamabad, which convicted the couple in the Toshakhana-I case and sentenced them to 14 years in Adiala Jail. The high court suspended those sentences in April 2024, but the underlying appeals against conviction have still not been fixed for final hearing.
The fresh filing followed a hearing on 31 March 2026, when the high court adjourned proceedings on the couple’s sentence-suspension applications in the £190m case after the defence counsel sought time to obtain fresh instructions from his clients.
Why it matters
The petitions allege “inordinate delays” and “dilatory tactics” by the prosecution, Dawn and The Nation reported. Bushra Bibi’s application says her plea under Section 426 of the criminal procedure code for suspension of her seven-year sentence had been pending for more than ten months, with notices first issued on 15 May 2025. It accuses the National Accountability Bureau of seeking unnecessary adjournments, including on 11 March 2026, when the bureau filed applications to dismiss the plea without a hearing on the merits.
The filings also raise access to counsel. Imran Khan’s petition argues that denial of visits by his legal team violates Articles 9, 10-A and 14 of the Constitution. Lead counsel Barrister Salman Safdar stated in a separate application that he had been denied access to his clients for about three months, which he said made it impossible to obtain the fresh instructions needed to proceed with the main appeals. The legal team is also quoted as saying that “justice should not only be done but also be seen to be done”.
The couple’s lawyers presented Bushra Bibi, 54, as a “parda-nasheen” woman with no history of public office who, they argue, was implicated because of her marriage to the former prime minister. Imran Khan’s petition also cited his medical condition, described as right central retinal vein occlusion, and said the necessary treatment was unavailable inside Adiala Jail.
What is still uncertain
The high court had not announced on 3 April whether it would fix the appeals or grant the requested jail-access directions. Pakistan Today reported that no further details were provided about the court’s immediate response, and no hearing dates for the Toshakhana-I appeals or the £190m suspension applications had been set.
Sources & reporting notes
This is a synthesis of published material, not eyewitness reporting. Sources were reviewed on 2026-04-03.
- Pakistan Today — Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi seek early hearing of IHC appeals in Toshakhana and £190m casesPublished 3 April 2026 · The Section 561-A petitions, the relief sought, the 31 March adjournment and the court's lack of an immediate response.
- Dawn — Imran, Bushra move IHC to fix appeals in Toshakhana, £190m casesPublished 4 April 2026 · The 31 January 2024 conviction and 14-year sentence, the April 2024 suspension, the Section 426 plea pending since May 2025 and the constitutional arguments on jail access.
- The Nation — Imran, Bushra ask IHC to fix urgently appeals in Toshakhana-I, £190m casesPublished 4 April 2026 · Quotes from the filings, the 11 March 2026 NAB applications, and Barrister Salman Safdar's statement on access to his clients.
