IHC orders lawyers’ meetings with Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi at Adiala today

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court has ordered one-hour lawyers’ meetings between former prime minister Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi and their counsel at Adiala Jail today. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif issued the direction on Tuesday while hearing the couple’s appeals against their convictions in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case. The meetings are scheduled for 3pm today, Wednesday, November 11, at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi. Salman Safdar will meet Imran Khan, and Sardar Latif Khosa will meet Bushra Bibi.

During the hearing, Safdar told the court he had met Imran Khan on November 3 after seven months, and Bushra Bibi after 11 months, but that the earlier consultation had given him instructions without being enough to prepare the appeals. The court directed the lawyers to begin arguments on the appeals at the next hearing. Attorney General Mansoor Usman Awan said the meetings could be arranged if the lawyers assured the court that arguments would begin then. The hearing was adjourned for 10 days.

Health concerns raised in court
The health of both detainees also came up during the hearing. Safdar said Imran Khan’s eyesight had improved but his blood pressure remained uncontrolled, staying above 190, with a risk of brain haemorrhage. Bushra Bibi’s eyesight was in a serious condition, he said; she had told him she was taken for surgery about six months ago and that another operation was scheduled for November 15. A medical board visited her in jail on November 8. The chief justice observed that health-related matters were pending before the Federal Constitutional Court.

Background of the £190m case
The case concerns the Al-Qadir Trust and funds returned to Pakistan by Britain’s National Crime Agency in 2019. In January 2026, an accountability court sentenced Imran Khan to 14 years in prison with a fine of Rs1 million, and Bushra Bibi to seven years with a fine of Rs500,000. Both have appealed against their convictions in the Islamabad High Court.