Legal team prepares plea seeking Bushra Bibi’s release

Bushra Bibi, wife of PTI founder Imran Khan, has decided to approach the courts seeking relief and her release from prison, her lawyer said.

According to her legal team, she signed three power of attorney documents, known as vakalatnamas, on Friday, authorising her lawyers to file a petition for her release.

Salman Kharl, an assistant to the legal team, received the signed documents from jail authorities. Lawyer Rai Suleman Kharl confirmed the development.

Earlier, the Federal Constitutional Court of Pakistan (FCCP) dismissed Bushra Bibi’s appeal against the Islamabad High Court’s decision to reject her request for suspension of sentence.

The two-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan and comprising Justice Ali Baqar Najafi, said the main appeal should be decided at an early stage instead of holding separate proceedings on the suspension request.

In its written judgment, issued on Wednesday, the court expected the Islamabad High Court to give both sides a fair opportunity to present their arguments and avoid unnecessary adjournments.

It also condoned a 61-day delay in filing the appeal, accepting her explanation that she was in prison at Adiala Jail.

Bushra Bibi had challenged the IHC’s April 30, 2026, order rejecting her plea to suspend the sentence handed down by an accountability court on January 17, 2025.

Her lawyer, Barrister Salman Safdar, had argued that repeated adjournments sought by NAB delayed the suspension application, while the main appeal involved an extensive record and complex legal issues. However, the FCCP ruled that these factors alone did not justify interfering with the High Court’s decision.