PTI's legal, political woes worsen

Salman Safdar writes to IHC chief justice over stalled appeals Former premier Imran Khan's counsel in the cypher case, Salman Safdar, speaks to media outside Adiala jail. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB/FILE Since the passage of the 26th Amendment, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has found itself treading water in the superior courts, struggling to secure any substantive relief as key petitions linked to its jailed founder and senior leadership remain in limbo, deepening the party's legal and political uncertainty. The party, whose founder and chief Imran Khan remains incarcerated for over two years, continues to knock on the doors of the judiciary for hearings on his cases. However, progress has been at a snail's pace, with PTI's petitions still caught in a holding pattern across multiple forums. Against this backdrop, Imran Khan's leading counsel, Salman Safdar, on Friday wrote to Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar, requesting early fixation of the petition seeking suspension of sentences awarded to Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the Al-Qadir Trust case. Explaining the basis for approaching the court, the letter states: "What instigated me, addressing your Lordship, through this letter, is the failure of the Islamabad High Court to redress the legitimate concern and fundamental right of the Clients to have their Post-Conviction Bail (Suspension of Sentence) applications fixed and heard in the Criminal Appeals arising out of NAB Reference No. 19/2023 (popularly known as the Al-Qadir University Trust Case)." "Consistent with the established pattern of hasty and unfair trials pursued against the couple, the proceedings in the Al-Qadir Trust's case were no exception and culminated in an illegal and unlawful conviction, rendered on 17.01.2025." It stated that the conviction and sentence were challenged on behalf of Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi on January 27, 2025, followed by applications for suspension of sentence filed on March 19, 2025. "It is respectfully submitted that my clients were on bail throughout the trial; since an appeal is a continuation of the trial, the same standard of expedition and parity ought to have been maintained at the appellate stage as well." The letter further states that efforts undertaken to seek redress merit brief mention. After the removal of unnecessary office objections in January 2025, numerous procedural hurdles were overcome before the matter was ultimately listed before the divisional bench on May 15, 2025, for the issuance of notices on the applications for suspension of sentence. Thereafter, proceedings were persistently delayed on one pretext or another, including repeated adjournments sought by proxy counsel for NAB on grounds such as appointment of a special prosecutor and illness. "The situation was further aggravated by non-availability of the Bench and repeated cancellation of the cases from the cause list. Regrettably, despite filing as many as five (5) separate petitions for early hearing, neither the main appeals nor the suspension of sentence (bail) applications have been heard or decided," the letter states. Salman Sardar further states that the court's registry has now outrightly refused to entertain even fresh applications. "This represents a clear, serious, and ongoing obstruction, creating a systemic denial of access to justice and in addition to this, for the past twelve months, national newspapers and social media have also consistently reported that the cases of Mr. Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi and his wife are 'unlikely to be heard' by the Islamabad High Court." It further submitted that the case of Bushra Bibi warrants special attention, as her arrest was not sought by NAB throughout the proceedings. The sole allegation against her of "aiding and abetting" is wholly unsupported by any credible evidence. She has been awarded a sentence of seven years, and the law has always treated with leniency cases involving females having shorter sentences. "Quite shockingly, this established practice has been entirely disregarded in the case of Bushra Imran Khan." "To the profound dismay of my clients and myself, repeated personal visits and requests to the Registrar's Office and Case-Fixation Branch have yielded no tangible result. An entire year has elapsed without any of the cases being fixed or heard. This alarming state of affairs urgently calls for the immediate intervention of Your Lordship, as the guardian and overall custodian of the Islamabad High Court." Moreover, in light of large-scale acquittals and the disturbing pattern of false implication in over 300 fabricated cases, it is imperative that all remaining cases, constitutional writ petitions, and appeals be fixed on priority to enable judicial scrutiny of the legality and lawfulness of the convictions. Salman Safdar further states that he represents both clients as lead counsel in all cases. Instructions from the clients are of paramount importance, as since...

PTI's legal, political woes worsen

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