Following Islamabad High Court directions, lawyers Sardar Latif Khosa and Salman Safdar will meet the incarcerated PTI founder and his wife for one hour at Adiala jail.
RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, are scheduled to meet their lawyers at Adiala jail at 3pm on Wednesday, November 11, following directions from the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
Lawyers Sardar Latif Khosa and Salman Safdar will meet the incarcerated couple for one hour under an arrangement reached between the defence and the government after the high court directed authorities to facilitate access to their clients.
The IHC issued the directions on Tuesday while hearing appeals filed by Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi against their convictions in the £190 million case. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif heard arguments concerning access to legal counsel, medical conditions and preparations for the appeals.
Lawyers raise concerns over access
During the hearing, Salman Safdar told the court that he had been allowed to meet Imran Khan on November 3 after a gap of seven months. He said his previous meeting with Bushra Bibi had taken place after an interval of 11 months.
According to Safdar, Bushra had questioned why she had been unable to meet him for almost a year. He urged the court to ensure regular meetings between lawyers and their incarcerated clients so they could obtain instructions and adequately prepare their defence.
Latif Khosa also told the bench that he had previously sought permission to meet Imran Khan and had assured the court that he would not seek another adjournment if access to his client was arranged. However, he said he was still awaiting an opportunity to meet the former prime minister.
Khosa requested at least one hour for the meeting. Chief Justice Dogar indicated that the lawyer could present his arguments on the appeals at the next hearing after meeting his client.
The Islamabad advocate general subsequently proposed arranging meetings for both lawyers if they committed to beginning their arguments at the next hearing. The court directed authorities to facilitate the meetings before adjourning the proceedings.
Defence raises medical concerns
The lawyers also highlighted health concerns involving Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi.
Safdar told the court that Imran Khan’s eyesight had improved, but his blood pressure remained uncontrolled. He said the PTI founder was concerned that persistently high blood pressure could increase his risk of a brain haemorrhage.
Regarding Bushra Bibi, Safdar said her eyesight was in poor condition and that she had undergone an operation around six months earlier. He informed the court that another procedure was scheduled for November 15.
The lawyer questioned the adequacy of her post-operative care, claiming she had been returned to her prison cell on the same day as her emergency surgery.
He requested the formation of a medical board and the production of her complete medical records from Adiala jail. He also asked the court to consider temporary release for four to six weeks for medical treatment if it was not inclined to grant her bail.
Islamabad Advocate General Naveed Malik told the bench that Bushra Bibi was receiving treatment in prison and had been provided with the required medical facilities. He submitted details of her treatment, stating that a medical board had examined her on November 8.
Chief Justice Dogar observed that the health-related matter was pending before the Federal Constitutional Court. Safdar, however, maintained that no case concerning Bushra Bibi was pending before that court.
Court assures defence over appeal preparations
The defence also sought additional time to prepare arguments, with Safdar saying that the paper books required for the proceedings had not yet been compiled or provided to the lawyers.
Chief Justice Dogar assured the defence that the relevant documents would be made available and that the lawyers would receive sufficient time to prepare their cases.
The one-hour meeting scheduled for Wednesday is intended to facilitate communication between the incarcerated couple and their legal team ahead of the next stage of proceedings in their appeals against the convictions in the £190 million case.
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