Former Prime Minister Imran Khan and former First Lady Bushra Bibi filed appeals with the Supreme Court of Pakistan seeking sentence suspensions [1].
The legal move represents a critical attempt by the couple to overturn convictions in a high-profile financial case. A successful suspension would alter their current legal status and potentially affect their confinement conditions.
The appeals follow a decision by the Islamabad High Court, which declined to decide on petitions filed by the pair [1]. Khan and Bibi sought to challenge that order and obtain a stay on the sentences imposed in the £190 million case [1], [2].
On June 30, 2026, the Supreme Court returned the appeals [3]. The court's action was based on a jurisdiction objection [1]. This means the highest court in the country declined to hear the matter in its current form, requiring the legal team to address the procedural errors before the court will consider the merits of the case.
This development is part of a broader legal struggle for the former prime minister. The case involves allegations surrounding the misappropriation of funds totaling £190 million [1]. Parallel to these appeals, other petitions have been filed regarding the conditions of their detention, including challenges to solitary confinement [4].
The legal team for Khan and Bibi had moved to the Supreme Court on June 29, 2026, immediately following the High Court's refusal to act [5]. The return of the appeals by the Supreme Court creates a procedural hurdle that must be cleared before the couple can seek the suspension of their sentences through this venue.
“The Supreme Court returned the appeals based on a jurisdiction objection.”
The Supreme Court's decision to return the appeals on jurisdictional grounds indicates that the court will not bypass standard legal hierarchies or overlook procedural flaws. For Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi, this means their immediate path to sentence suspension is blocked until they can satisfy the court's requirements regarding which legal venue is appropriate for the challenge.
