IHC issues written order in £190m case, no date set for next hearing

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Friday issued a written order regarding the hearing of appeals for the suspension of sentences of PTI founder and his wife Bushra Bibi in the £190 million case, but did not announce a date for the next proceedings.

The order was issued by a two-member bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Sarfaraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif. It noted that Arshad Javed Advocate has been appointed as the Special Prosecutor for the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in the case.

The newly appointed prosecutor requested additional time to prepare, which the court accepted. The bench granted time to NAB’s special prosecutor to ensure a fair hearing of the appeals.

Meanwhile, the IHC also released a vacation schedule for Justice Muhammad Asif, a member of the bench hearing the case. According to an official notification, Justice Asif will be on leave from July 7 to July 22, and again from August 11 to August 26.

While Chief Justice Sarfaraz Dogar will remain available during the summer break, no alternate arrangements or hearing dates have been set for the bench as of yet. The absence of a clear schedule raises the possibility that further proceedings in the high-profile case may be delayed until after the judicial vacations.