FCC rejects Bushra Bibi's petition

Rules Al-Qadir Trust appeal should be decided expeditiously

ISLAMABAD:

The PTI has suffered a major setback in the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC), which has dismissed a petition filed by former prime minister Imran Khan's wife, Bushra Bibi, seeking suspension of her sentence in the Al-Qadir Trust case.

The court observed that the main appeal should be decided expeditiously rather than undertaking a parallel examination of the matter.

"The principal grievance urged by learned counsel for the appellant pertains to the repeated adjournments allegedly sought by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), resulting in prolongation of the proceedings on the application for suspension of sentence. Be that as it may, the main appeal having already been fixed for hearing, the appropriate course would be to secure its expeditious adjudication rather than undertake a parallel examination of the merits of suspension of sentence at this stage," a three-page order issued by a division bench of FCC led by Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan said

Imran and Bushra remain incarcerated in Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail. They were sentenced on December 20, 2025, to 17 years in prison in the Toshakhana-II case, while in January last year, an Islamabad accountability court sentenced Imran to 14 years and Bushra to seven years in prison in the Al- Qadir Trust case.

Salman Safdar appeared on behalf of Bushra Bibi before the FCC.

The order said that the appellant's assertion that the appeal involves a voluminous record necessitating elaborate arguments does not, by itself, furnish sufficient justification for interference with the order.

"It is, therefore, incumbent upon the counsel for appellant to extend full assistance to the High Court in the hearing of the main appeal, whereafter NAB shall be equally obligated to advance its arguments without seeking unwarranted adjournments."

The FCC observed that they found no sufficient ground warranting interference with the order at this stage.

"We, however, expect that the High Court shall endeavour to decide the main appeal, affording both sides adequate opportunity of hearing while discouraging unnecessary adjournments. Consequently, the instant appeal is dismissed, with the aforesaid observations," the order read.

Since its establishment, the PTI had been showing reluctance to approach the FCC whose judges are appointed by present government.

Our apprehensions have come true after rejection of Bushra Bibi's petition without issuance of notice to other side, a PTI lawyer said.

It is worth noting that the present government amended the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO), 1999, to empower the FCC to hear appeals against high court decisions in NAB cases.