Pakistan: Court once again rejects petitions of Imran Khan, wife Bushra Bibi

The Islamabad High Court IHC on Monday rejected the petitions of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi requesting the suspension of their sentences in the pound190 million corruption case The court stated that their main appeals were already fixed for hearing local media reported on MondayAsserting that a twomember bench headed by Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar will hear the central appeals on May 7 the court termed the suspension applications infructuous Pakistans leading daily Dawn reportedPakistan TehreekeInsaf PTI founder Imran Khan who has remained incarcerated since August 2023 for hiding details of Toshakhana gifts is serving a 14year sentence at Rawalpindirsquos Adiala jail in the pound190m case also known as the AlQadir Trust caseIn 2025 an accountability court in Islamabad sentenced Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi to 14 and seven years in prison respectively in the case The couple has challenged their convictions before the Islamabad High CourtThe case alleges that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi received billions of rupees and land worth hundreds of kanals from Bahria Town Ltd to legalise Pakistani Rupees PKR 50 billion identified and returned to the country by the United Kingdom during the PTIled governmentLast week the PTI condemned the detention of Imran Khan which has completed 1000 days terming it a blatant act of political victimisation total denial of constitutional and legal justification and called for his immediate release according to a reportIn a statement PTI Central Information Secretary Waqas Akram said PTI founder Imran Khan is being subjected to political victimisation as the current government afraid of his popularity and independent stance is trying to sideline him the UAEs Gulf Today reportedAkram stated that Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were being subjected to inhumane treatment He alleged that the PTI founder is being held in solitary confinement while his family lawyers and party leadership were not allowed to meet him which amounts to a clear violation of fundamental human and legal rightsEarlier in March Imran Khans son Kasim Khan termed his fathers detention arbitrary and raised serious concerns over treatment by the Pakistani authorities which he said breaches international human rights conventionsDuring the United Nations Human Rights Council UNHRC session in Geneva Kasim Khan said that Imran Khans case was not an isolated incident but was the most visible example of a much wider pattern of repression in Pakistan since 2022 He spoke about the detention of political prisoners trial and conviction of civilians by military courts and journalists being silenced abducted or driven into exile Pakistani daily Dawn reportedKasim Khan who said that his father was being held in solitary confinement also spoke about the general elections held in Pakistan in February 2024 reiterating PTIs allegations that polls were rigged He said that Pakistan had made commitments under the GSPplus framework to uphold international human rights conventions including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the United Nations Convention against TortureHe said that Imran Khan is not allowed to meet his family and is being denied medical care He also highlighted that the trial of civilians in military courts violated treaty obligations Dawn reportedMy brother and I are not political people We never wanted to come before bodies like this But my fatherrsquos life demands that we take action We cannot stand by as his health deteriorates and he is kept away from us If the situation were reversed we know he would not stop fighting until we were free That is the very least we can do for him he addedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever