Ex-Pak PM Imran Khan Seeks Release On Humanitarian Grounds

Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan on Thursday approached the Islamabad High Court seeking release on humanitarian and compassionate grounds , citing prolonged solitary confinement and a serious eye condition.

The plea was filed through his counsel Salman Safdar as the court heard appeals against the conviction of Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the 190-million-pound corruption case . In January last year, an accountability court sentenced the 73-year-old leader to 14 years in prison , while Bibi was awarded a seven-year sentence in a case pursued by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

During the hearing, Safdar urged the court to suspend the sentence , arguing that the appeal had remained pending for over 16 months and had already undergone multiple hearings. He also highlighted Khan’s deteriorating health, particularly his eyesight. According to the defence, Khan’s vision has significantly worsened, with claims that he has lost a substantial portion of his eyesight and that the damage may be permanent .

Raising concerns over prison conditions, Safdar questioned why Khan was being kept in solitary confinement , stating that adequate medical facilities were not available at Adiala Jail. He informed the court that Khan had been shifted to hospital several times due to his condition and sought directions for submission of complete medical records. The counsel also requested that senior prison officials, including the Inspector General of Prisons, be summoned.

Safdar further noted that Bushra Bibi had also been affected, pointing out that she was arrested at the time of the judgment .

However, Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar questioned the defence’s approach, asking why the focus was not on concluding the main appeal expeditiously. He observed that the case could be decided quickly if arguments were scheduled regularly. Despite this, the defence insisted that the suspension plea be taken up first .

The hearing was later adjourned without a ruling.

The case pertains to allegations linked to the Al-Qadir Trust, a welfare organisation accused of being used as a front to receive valuable land from a real estate tycoon. According to NAB, the funds repatriated from the United Kingdom were allegedly misused to settle liabilities instead of being deposited in the national exchequer. Khan has denied all charges , maintaining that neither he nor his wife derived any financial benefit from the arrangement.