A special bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) is set to hear the appeals of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, his wife Bushra, and former Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi today.
They are appealing their convictions in the cipher and Toshakhana cases.
The IHC special bench, led by Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, will conduct the hearing. Imran Khan, represented by his counsels Barrister Ali Zafar and Salman Safdar Advocate, has filed petitions naming the State, Chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), and Secretary of Interior as respondents.
In the cipher case, Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi are challenging their convictions and 10-year sentences. Additionally, Imran Khan and Bushra have filed appeals against their convictions in the Toshakhana reference, where they were sentenced to 14 years imprisonment each and fined Rs1.54 billion.
Imran’s counsel argues that in the cipher case, the prosecution improperly documented evidence, violating the mandatory provisions outlined in the Criminal Procedure Code of 1898. Despite objections, the trial court did not intervene, and the proceedings were rushed, with evidence from 25 prosecution witnesses recorded in five daily hearings.
The counsel emphasizes that Imran Khan and his wife underwent unfair and hasty trials, ignoring their fundamental right to a fair trial and due process. They request that the judgments of the NAB authorities and the Special Judge be set aside, seeking acquittal from charges and suspension of their sentence and conviction.