Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi’s £190m Case Appeals Reach Islamabad High Court Today

The Islamabad High Court will hear the appeals of former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, against their convictions in the £190 million case today, Tuesday 10 November 2026. The hearing is one of the most closely watched court dates in Pakistan this year, because it could decide whether the couple’s convictions stand, fall, or are sent back for a fresh look.

A two-judge bench will hear the case. It is led by Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar, sitting with Justice Muhammad Asif. The court has given the couple’s lawyer, Barrister Salman Safdar, a final chance to begin his arguments. That detail matters: the court has already warned that it will not keep delaying the case, and if arguments are not made, it could decide the appeals on the record already before it.

This article explains what the £190m case is about, how it reached this point, what happened in the months leading up to today’s hearing, and what could happen next.

What is the £190m case?

The case is about £190 million that Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) returned to Pakistan in 2019. The money was linked to property tycoon Malik Riaz and his company, Bahria Town. The NCA had frozen the funds in Britain after investigating them, and then agreed to send the money back to Pakistan.

Pakistan’s anti-corruption body, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), says the money did not go where it should have. According to NAB, the £190 million was adjusted against Bahria Town’s own liabilities — the money the company owed under a court settlement — instead of being deposited in the national treasury, where public money belongs.

NAB alleges that in return, Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi received billions of rupees and land measuring hundreds of kanals from the real estate firm. The allegation is that the couple gave undue favours to Malik Riaz in exchange for these benefits.

The case is also known as the Al-Qadir Trust case. The Al-Qadir Trust is a welfare organisation that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi established in 2018. The trust runs a university outside Islamabad that focuses on spirituality and Islamic teachings. NAB has alleged that the trust was used as a front to receive land worth millions of dollars from the property tycoon. The defence has denied the charges.

The convictions

On 17 January 2025, an accountability court in Islamabad convicted both Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi in the case.

Imran Khan was sentenced to 14 years in prison and fined Rs1 million. Bushra Bibi was sentenced to seven years in prison and fined Rs500,000. She was convicted of aiding, assisting and abetting, under Section 9(a)(xii) of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999.

Both were taken into custody, and they have remained in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail since then. They were also sentenced on 20 December 2025 to 17 years in prison in a separate case, known as the Toshakhana-II case. That is a different matter, but it means that even if the £190m appeals succeed, the couple would not automatically walk free.

Soon after the January 2025 verdict, both filed appeals in the Islamabad High Court, challenging their convictions. They also asked the court to suspend their sentences while the appeals were heard. Those suspension requests were turned down, and the main appeals have been moving slowly through the court ever since.

Why has it taken so long to reach a hearing?

The appeals have been fixed for hearing several times, but each time something got in the way. The main problem, according to the defence, was access.

Barrister Salman Safdar, the couple’s lawyer, told the court more than once that he had been denied meetings with his clients in jail. Without meeting them, he said, he could not take instructions or prepare his arguments. The court accepted that complaint and adjourned the case, but it also made clear that its patience was limited.

In July, the court granted what it called a final adjournment and warned that no further delay would be tolerated. The judges said that if arguments were not presented, the appeals would be decided on the basis of the available record.

The appeals were then listed for 5 October 2026. That hearing was also adjourned, after the defence again raised objections about access to the couple.

The logjam finally broke on 2 November 2026, when Barrister Safdar was allowed to meet Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi at Adiala Jail. With that meeting done, the court fixed the appeals for hearing on 10 November and gave the lawyer a final opportunity to commence his arguments.

What the court will hear today

Today’s hearing is about the main appeals — the challenge to the convictions themselves. The defence is expected to argue that the accountability court’s verdict was wrong, and that the convictions should be set aside.

A hearing date is not the same as a verdict. The court could hear arguments and reserve its decision, adjourn the case to another date, or begin a process that takes several hearings to complete. It is also possible, though less likely on the first day, that the court could suspend the sentences while the appeals continue. None of that can be predicted in advance.

What is clear is that the court has signalled it wants the case to move. The “final opportunity” given to the defence, and the warning from July that the appeals could be decided on the record, both point in the same direction: the judges do not want another long delay.

Bushra Bibi’s separate court battles

Alongside the main appeals, Bushra Bibi has been fighting a separate legal battle over her sentence. In September 2026, she approached the Federal Constitutional Court (FCC), asking for an early hearing of her appeal for suspension of her seven-year sentence. She cited a recurring eye condition and inadequate medical facilities in jail. Her application said she was diagnosed with Posterior Vitreous Detachment (PVD) in her right eye on 28 March, and later developed what doctors describe as a “black curtain” over her vision, along with acute deterioration. She was declared an ocular emergency and underwent surgery at Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital on 16 April.

On 14 October 2026, the FCC dismissed that appeal. A bench headed by Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan observed that the main appeal before the Islamabad High Court should be decided expeditiously, rather than the courts examining the same matter in parallel. The dismissal was a setback for Bushra Bibi, but it also pushed the focus back to today’s hearing in the high court.

The health question has come up again in the days before today’s hearing. On Saturday, 7 November, Barrister Safdar filed an affidavit in the Islamabad High Court after meeting the couple at Adiala Jail earlier in the week. According to the filing, Bushra Bibi’s eye condition is extremely critical and her vision faces a serious risk.

The affidavit says she wore unusually dark glasses during the meeting and could tolerate neither sunlight nor artificial light. Doctors who examined her at the jail diagnosed a mature cataract, and advised that another eye operation would be required around 15 November. The filing asks for specialist medical care.

It is important to be clear about the status of these claims. They come from the defence’s own filing, and the court has not yet examined the medical record or ruled on the application. The health claims have not been independently verified by the court. But the filing puts a human question at the centre of the case, alongside the legal one, just days before the appeals are heard.

The wider picture: a case that has shaped Pakistani politics

The £190m case is not just a court matter. It has been one of the defining legal cases of Imran Khan’s time in jail, and it has shaped the politics around him.

Imran Khan, the founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), was removed as prime minister in April 2022 through a vote of no confidence. Since then, he has faced a series of cases, and he has been in jail since August 2023. His supporters say the cases are politically motivated. His opponents say the courts are simply holding a former prime minister to account.

The £190m case has been among the most serious of those cases, because of the size of the money involved and the length of the sentences. A 14-year sentence for a former prime minister is rare in Pakistan’s history, and the case has been followed closely both inside the country and abroad.

The case has also raised questions that go beyond the courtroom. One is about the £190 million itself — money that was supposed to come back to Pakistan from Britain, and that NAB says never reached the public treasury. Another is about the relationship between politicians and Pakistan’s powerful property developers. And a third is about the Al-Qadir Trust and the university it runs, which the defence says is a genuine educational project.

For the PTI, today’s hearing is a moment of hope. The party has been arguing for months that the convictions were rushed and unfair. For the government and NAB, the hearing is a chance to defend a verdict they say was based on solid evidence. For the public, it is a test of whether the courts can decide a highly charged case on its merits.

What happens next

There are several possible paths from here, and today’s hearing will show which one the case takes.

First, the court could begin hearing the defence’s arguments in full. If that happens, the hearing could stretch over several days or weeks, with both sides presenting their cases in detail.

Second, the court could decide the appeals quickly, either by upholding the convictions, setting them aside, or sending the case back to the accountability court for a fresh decision. A quick decision is possible but not guaranteed.

Third, the court could adjourn again, though it has warned repeatedly that it will not tolerate further delay. Any new adjournment would need a strong reason.

Fourth, the court could take up the question of suspending the sentences while the appeals are decided. That would not end the case, but it could change the couple’s immediate situation.

Whatever happens today, the case is unlikely to end in a single hearing. Appeals of this size, with this much at stake, usually take time. But today matters because it is the first real movement in the appeals since the defence was finally able to meet its clients — and because the court has made it clear that it expects arguments to begin.

Why today’s hearing matters

Today’s hearing matters for three reasons.

First, it is about the law. The £190m case involves a large sum of public money, and the question of whether the convictions were correct deserves a proper hearing. Whatever the outcome, a full and fair hearing strengthens the justice system.

Second, it is about politics. Imran Khan remains one of Pakistan’s most popular politicians, and his imprisonment has shaped the country’s politics for more than three years. A decision in his favour, or against him, would have consequences far beyond the courtroom.

Third, it is about the people involved. Both Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi have been in jail for a long time, and Bushra Bibi’s reported health problems add urgency to the case. The court’s handling of the health question, alongside the legal arguments, will be watched closely.

For now, all eyes are on the Islamabad High Court. The appeals are listed, the lawyers are ready, and the judges have said they want the case to move. After months of delays, the £190m case is finally being heard.

Frequently asked questions

What is the £190m case?

It is a corruption case about £190 million that Britain’s National Crime Agency returned to Pakistan in 2019. NAB alleges the money was adjusted against the liabilities of property tycoon Malik Riaz’s Bahria Town instead of going into the national treasury, and that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi received land and money in return.

What were the sentences?

On 17 January 2025, an accountability court sentenced Imran Khan to 14 years in prison and fined him Rs1 million. Bushra Bibi was sentenced to seven years and fined Rs500,000.

Who is hearing the appeals?

A division bench of the Islamabad High Court, comprising Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif.

What is the Al-Qadir Trust?

It is a welfare organisation established by Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi in 2018. It runs a university outside Islamabad focused on spirituality and Islamic teachings. NAB alleges the trust was used to receive land from the property tycoon. The defence denies this.

Will Imran Khan be released if the appeals succeed?

Not automatically. The couple were also sentenced to 17 years in prison on 20 December 2025 in a separate case, Toshakhana-II. That sentence would still stand unless it is also challenged successfully.

What did the Federal Constitutional Court decide in October?

On 14 October 2026, the FCC dismissed Bushra Bibi’s appeal seeking suspension of her sentence, saying the main appeal before the Islamabad High Court should be decided quickly instead.

Conclusion

The hearing in the Islamabad High Court today is the most important date so far in the £190m case. After nearly two years since the convictions, and months of delays caused by the defence’s lack of access to its clients, the appeals are finally being heard.

The case raises serious questions about public money, political power, and the fairness of the justice system. It also carries a human dimension, with Bushra Bibi’s reported eye condition adding urgency to the proceedings.

What the court decides — and how quickly — will matter for Imran Khan, for Bushra Bibi, for the PTI, and for Pakistan’s politics. For today, the first step is simple: the arguments begin.

Sources

• Dawn, “Nov 10 fixed for hearing of appeals in £190m case”, 5 November 2026: https://www.dawn.com/news/2042202/nov-10-fixed-for-hearing-of-appeals-in-ps190m-case
• The Express Tribune, “IHC fixes Imran and Bushra’s appeals against sentences in £190m case for Nov 10”, 4 November 2026: https://tribune.com.pk/story/2638661/ihc-fixes-imran-and-bushras-appeals-against-sentences-in-190m-case-for-nov-10?amp=1
• The Express Tribune, “IHC to hear Imran’s £190m case appeal”, 5 November 2026: https://tribune.com.pk/story/2638720/ihc-to-hear-imrans-190m-case-appeal?amp=1
• Business Recorder, “£190m case: IHC to hear appeals of IK, Bushra on 10th”, 5 November 2026: https://www.brecorder.com/news/40447466/ps190m-case-ihc-to-hear-appeals-of-ik-bushra-on-10th
• HUM English, “IHC fixes Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi’s appeals in £190m case for Nov 10”, 4 November 2026: https://humenglish.com/latest/ihc-fixes-imran-khan-bushra-bibis-appeals-in-190m-case-for-nov-10/
• The Express Tribune, “FCC dismisses Bushra Bibi’s sentence suspension appeal in £190m case”, 14 October 2026: https://tribune.com.pk/story/2634818/fcc-dismisses-bushra-bibis-plea-for-suspension-of-sentence-in-190m-case
• Dunya News, “IHC schedules 190 million pounds case appeals for November 10”: https://dunyanews.tv/index.php/en/Pakistan/981184-ihc-schedules-190-million-pounds-case-appeals-for-november-10
• The Express Tribune, “Bushra Bibi moves FCC for early hearing of sentence suspension appeal in Al-Qadir case”, 17 September 2026: https://tribune.com.pk/story/2629850/bushra-bibi-moves-fcc-for-early-hearing-of-sentence-suspension-appeal-in-al-qadir-case
• The Express Tribune, “Bushra Bibi’s eyes in ‘extremely vulnerable condition’, Barrister Safdar tells IHC”, 7 November 2026: https://tribune.com.pk/story/2639107/bushra-bibis-eyes-in-extremely-vulnerable-condition-barrister-safdar-tells-ihc

This article is for general information and education only. It is not legal or financial advice.