The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) has rejected Bushra Bibi sentence suspension plea in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case. The wife of former prime minister Imran Khan had sought relief from her seven-year prison sentence on medical and legal grounds.
A two-member FCC bench, led by Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan and Justice Ali Baqar Najafi, heard the matter on Wednesday. The judges reserved their decision after hearing arguments and directed Bushra Bibi’s lawyer, Salman Safdar, to submit written arguments. The court will issue a detailed order explaining its dismissal later.
Bushra Bibi’s counsel argued that her status as a woman and her serious medical condition justified suspending her sentence. He referred to provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure that provide grounds for considering such relief. The legal team also raised concerns about her deteriorating eyesight and said her remaining vision was at risk.
The application, filed on September 17, highlighted concerns about Bushra Bibi’s medical care in Adiala Jail. Her lawyers alleged that prison authorities had failed to follow Islamabad High Court directions regarding access to legal counsel. They also claimed that she and Imran Khan were being kept in solitary confinement without access to family members, friends, lawyers and party representatives.
The petition further stated that Bushra Bibi underwent eye surgery on April 17, 2026. According to the appeal, her daughters met her after the procedure and found her distressed. Her counsel alleged that she was returned to jail without dedicated medical supervision or adequate nursing care despite her impaired vision. These claims were presented as part of the grounds for seeking relief.
The defence also challenged the evidence underlying her conviction. Prosecutors alleged that Bushra Bibi and Imran Khan received 240 kanals of land through an associate in exchange for personal benefits involving property tycoon Ahmad Ali Riaz Malik. Her counsel argued that the evidence did not establish personal gain and alleged that the National Accountability Bureau had pursued the case selectively.
Bushra Bibi received her seven-year sentence in January 2025 and remains imprisoned at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi. The Islamabad High Court rejected her earlier sentence-suspension request in May 2026. The Supreme Court office subsequently returned her petition as not maintainable, directing the matter to the FCC under the relevant legal provisions. The FCC’s detailed dismissal order is awaited.
