IHC chief allows Imran to meet lawyer in £190m graft case

ISLAMABAD, Apr 7: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday directed authorities to facilitate a meeting between jailed PTI founder Imran Khan and his lawyer regarding the £190 million corruption case.

The instructions came as the court heard petitions filed by Imran and his spouse, Bushra Bibi, seeking suspension of their sentences in the case. The bench also hinted at an early disposal of the couple's main appeals against their conviction.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad SarfrazDogar and Justice Muhammad Asif conducted the hearing.

National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Special Prosecutor Javed Ashraf and Senior Prosecutor RafayMaqsood appeared before the court, while the PTI founder was represented by Barrister Salman Safdar.

During the proceedings, the chief justice inquired about a hearing on the main appeals as miscellaneous applications seeking suspension of sentence were also pending.

Barrister Safdar informed the court about the need to consult his client, to which the bench directed jail authorities to arrange a meeting with the PTI founder.

"What time would you like to meet tomorrow?" Justice Dogar asked. Safdar requested a meeting at 2pm, which the court approved, directing authorities to facilitate the meeting accordingly.

Tuesday and Thursday are court-mandated days for Imran's family, lawyers and party leaders to meet Imran, who remains incarcerated at Rawalpindi's Adiala jail. However, they have faced restrictions on the meetings.    �"DAWN