The legal team representing former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi has disputed claims made by Adiala Jail authorities over the preparation and collection of powers of attorney (PoAs) linked to the £190 million case before the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
In a written reply submitted to the court on Monday, the superintendent of Adiala Jail said officials prepared the signed PoAs on June 16 in compliance with court directives and informed the couple’s counsel, Barrister Salman Safdar, through a text message on the same day.
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The jail administration argued that the legal team had access to the documents but failed to collect them before the June 18 hearing. Officials also attached a screenshot of the text message as supporting evidence and accused Safdar of presenting misleading information before the court.
Barrister Salman Safdar rejected the jail authorities’ account and maintained that his legal team had repeatedly attempted to obtain the documents without success.
Speaking to The Express Tribune, Safdar said members of his team visited Adiala Jail five to six times during the past four weeks but did not receive the required powers of attorney.
According to Safdar, advocates Sarmad, Ahmad Maysar and Khalid Yousaf made more than five visits to secure the documents.
He said the continued lack of access forced the legal team to file a contempt petition before the Islamabad High Court on the morning of June 15.
Safdar added that after filing the petition, authorities informed the team for the first time that they could collect a power of attorney signed only by Imran Khan and not by Bushra Bibi.
He said the legal team did not accept that arrangement because representation before the court required complete documentation from both clients.
The matter now highlights conflicting accounts between prison officials and the defence team as proceedings continue in the Islamabad High Court over the £190 million case.
