Islamabad High Court Direct to Session Court to Decide Imran Khan and his Wife Case

 

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) ordered a sessions court to decide within 10 days on the pleas by PTI founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to suspend their sentence in the iddat case. Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb also ordered the sessions court to decide on their appeals against their convictions within a month.

 

The couple was convicted on February 3 for marrying during Bushra Bibi’s iddat period, receiving a seven-year jail sentence and a fine of Rs500,000 each. They appealed the conviction to district and sessions judge Shahrukh Arjumand, who recused himself after the hearing concluded and a verdict was due. The case was then transferred to Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Mohammad Afzal Majoka. Bushra Bibi’s counsel petitioned the IHC for her release on bail and suspension of her sentence.

 

The IHC registrar’s office initially raised objections to the petition, noting it sought the same relief as the sessions court. Justice Aurangzeb removed these objections and criticized Judge Arjumand’s recusal as unjustified. During a hearing on Imran Khan’s plea to return the case to Judge Arjumand, his lawyer, Salman Akram Raja, argued that the case should go back to Judge Arjumand or be heard by the IHC or a sessions judge, not an ADSJ. Raja requested a time frame for hearing the appeal.

 

Khawar Maneka’s lawyer, Raja Rizwan Abbasi, noted that the couple’s conviction was appealed to the session court. Abbasi explained that his client’s lack of confidence in Judge Arjumand led to the judge’s recusal. He requested the court to declare the application inadmissible.

 

Justice Aurangzeb ordered Judge Majoka to decide within 10 days on the suspension of the couple’s sentence and to resolve the main appeals against their convictions within a month.