Iddat case fixed for June 7 on Bushra Bibi's plea

• Bushra asks court to fix appeals for hearing this week.
• Court fixes hearing of appeals against conviction on June 7.
• IHC has transferred iddat case to Judge Majuka's court.

ISLAMABAD: Bushra Bibi, the wife of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, Tuesday moved a district and sessions court in the federal capital, seeking an early hearing of her appeals filed against her conviction in the iddat case.

In her petition, the former first lady argued that the appeals against conviction are scheduled for hearing in the local court, requesting it to fix the appeals for hearing this week.

Following her appeal, the court fixed the hearing of the appeals on June 7, seeking arguments on the case.

The plea by Bushra has been filed a day after the Islamabad High Court accepted District and Sessions Judge Shahrukh Arjumand's request seeking transfer of the iddat case to another court.

The IHC's decision came days after the judge wrote a letter to its registrar, stating it would not be appropriate for him to announce the verdict in the aforementioned case due to reservations raised by Bushra's former husband and petitioner Khawar Maneka.

Following the judge's request, the IHC transferred the case to the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majuka.

Bushra Bibi's lawyers, Salman Safdar and Khalid Yusuf, appeared in Judge Majuka's court, requesting the suspension of the sentence which has been pending since March 11.

Safdar said that the verdict was handed down on March 29, but Maneka expressed his lack of confidence in the judge — which has delayed the hearing.

He added that Bushra Bibi did not even get the right to defend herself.

"The innocent have been held prisoners. Her health is bad," the lawyer argued and requested the court to suspend the sentence this week.