PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan has approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) through a miscellaneous application, seeking permission to meet his legal team for consultation in the appeal against his conviction in the £190 million case.

 

The application, filed by Barrister Salman Safdar, requested an immediate and uninterrupted meeting between Imran Khan and his lawyers.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman, the Inspector General of Punjab Prisons, and the Superintendent of Adiala Jail have been named as respondents.

 

The petition stated that Imran Khan has not been able to hold a meaningful meeting with his legal counsel since December 20, 2025, adding that this has resulted in a gap of around three months in legal access.

It further mentioned that the suspension of sentence plea, filed on March 19, 2025, has been heard on multiple dates.

 

It was also stated in the application that repeated attempts by lawyers to meet their client were thwarted by jail authorities, which, according to the plea, has caused delays in the proceedings.

 

The petition referred to the Jail Rules 1978 and Articles 9 (guarantees the security of person, stating that no person shall be deprived of life or liberty except in accordance with the law), 10-A (guarantees the fundamental right to a fair trial and due process for the determination of civil rights, obligations, or criminal charges) and 14 (guarantees the inviolability of human dignity and, subject to law, the privacy of home) of the Constitution, arguing that access to legal counsel is a fundamental right.

It stated that prisoners, regardless of charges, are entitled to meet their lawyers for effective legal preparation.

 

The application requested the court to allow Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to meet their legal counsel for consultation regarding their pending appeal.

In January last year, an accountability court sentenced Imran Khan to 14 years in prison and Bushra Bibi to seven years in the £190 million reference filed by NAB. 

Appeals against the conviction are currently being heard in the IHC.

 

The case relates to allegations involving the Al-Qadir Trust, a welfare organisation set up in 2018, which is accused of being used in connection with land allegedly received from a property tycoon. 

The government maintains that the arrangement was linked to the use of repatriated UK funds, which were not deposited into the national treasury.

 

Imran Khan has denied the allegations, saying neither he nor his wife received any personal benefit from the trust or related transactions.