Overview

• Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Azam Khan adjourned the Al-Qadir Trust appeals after NAB’s special prosecutor failed to appear due to illness.
• NAB Prosecutor Rafay Maqsood informed the bench of the special prosecutor’s condition as the court granted what it described as a final opportunity to proceed at the next date.
• The petitions seek suspension of sentences from a January 17, 2025 accountability court verdict in the £190 million case that handed Imran Khan 14 years and Bushra Bibi seven years, fines, and forfeiture of the trust’s property to the federal government.
• Counsel Barrister Salman Safdar complained that heavy, multi-layered security hindered lawyers’ access to the courtroom and accused NAB of employing delaying tactics, prompting an apology from the chief justice for the inconvenience.
• The hearing drew political attention, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur and the PTI founder’s sisters present as the court fixed October 16 for the next session.