Overview
- Adiala Jail filed a written reply on Monday saying powers of attorney signed by Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were prepared and that counsel were texted on June 16, attaching a screenshot as evidence.
- Barrister Salman Safdar rejected the jail’s account and said his team made five to six visits over four weeks to collect the PoAs and filed a contempt petition on June 15 after being repeatedly denied access.
- Safdar said that after the contempt filing he was told only Imran Khan’s PoA, not Bushra Bibi’s, was available for collection and that this partial access was unacceptable to the defence.
- A hearing on June 18 went ahead without the defence having collected the documents and the Islamabad High Court will now review both sides’ filings and the attached message screenshot in further proceedings.
- Powers of attorney allow lawyers to act formally for detained clients, so the court’s findings could affect the £190 million case schedule, potential contempt findings, and the couple’s immediate ability to mount a defence.