• Moves high court for suspension of her sentence, citing health and custodial treatment
• Alleges her eye surgery was conducted without prior consent or communication

ISLAMABAD: Bushra Bibi, spouse of former prime minister Imran Khan, has approached the Islamabad High Court seeking suspension of her sentence in the £190 million corruption case on medical grounds, citing serious concerns about her health and custodial treatment.

In an application filed through her lawyers, Salman Safdar and Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry, the applicant urged the court for urgent fixation and a decision on her pending plea for suspension of sentence, which has remained undecided since May 2025.

The petition stated that Bushra Bibi, currently incarcerated at Adiala jail, had undergone eye surgery under undisclosed circumstances at Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital. The development, it claimed, was neither communicated to her legal team nor to her family prior to the procedure.

According to the plea, the applicant’s daughters were informed about the surgery only after they were allowed to meet her on April 17, where they found her in a distressed condition with bandaged eyes and impaired vision. The application alleged that no medical records, including diagnosis, operation notes, or post-operative care details, had been provided by the jail authorities.

Questions raised

The petition raised serious questions over transparency and legality, alleging that the surgery was conducted without prior consent or consultation, and that the subsequent denial of access to counsel and family members reflected a pattern of concealment regarding her health condition.

It further contended that despite a clear court order directing facilitation of a meeting between the applicant and her counsel, the jail authorities had failed to comply, thereby depriving her of the opportunity to seek timely legal recourse.

The application maintained that Bushra Bibi’s medical condition had deteriorated due to inadequate care during incarceration and that her current condition required constant medical supervision and assistance. It argued that her continued detention, particularly after a surgical intervention affecting her vision, amounted to inhumane and degrading treatment.

Citing legal precedent, the petition submitted that severe medical hardship and lack of proper care constituted valid grounds for bail or suspension of sentence. It also emphasised that the applicant, being a woman sentenced to seven years, was entitled to relief on humanitarian grounds, especially as her appeal had been pending for over a year.

The plea requested the court to summon officials of the jail administration and the hospital, along with complete medical records, and to order her immediate transfer to a specialised medical facility for proper treatment.

Bushra Bibi was convicted in the £190m case by a trial court in proceedings initiated by the National Accountability Bureau.

The case pertains to granting undue favours to property tycoon Malik Riaz in retrieving his laundered money from the UK. Her appeal against conviction remains pending before the high court.

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2026