The accountability court’s attempt to deliver a final decision in the £190 million settlement case involving Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, was suspended on Wednesday by the Islamabad High Court (IHC). There are claims against the couple that they caused the national exchequer to suffer large financial losses.
The couple’s acquittal case was heard by a two-member bench of the IHC, which was made up of Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb. In the well-known case, the petition aims to have the accusations against them overturned.
On September 7, Imran Khan filed his plea of not guilty, in response to the Supreme Court’s decision to modify the statutes pertaining to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). The decision recognised the intra-court challenges against the 2022 decision that had invalidated the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO) modifications. The modifications had spurred much discussion over how they will affect well-known accountability cases.
Through its intervention, the accountability court’s proceedings are virtually put on hold, giving Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi some temporary respite as they wait for the outcome of their motion for acquittal. The case has attracted a lot of interest because of its financial and political ramifications, which revolve around a £190 million settlement.
All eyes are still on the upcoming developments in this high-stakes case as the court proceedings continue.