Judge Mohammad Bashir, who convicted Imran Khan, seeks leave till retirement due to hypertension

Accountability Court Judge Mohammad Bashir, who convicted PTI founder Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case, has requested leave until retirement, citing health issues.

The judge once found himself at the centre of controversy when he sentenced the former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the Toshakhana case.

He is also presiding over corruption cases against several politicians, including the Toshakhana case against PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, the Al-Qadir Trust case (190 million pounds case) against Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi, and a corruption case against Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.

The judge cited hypertension caused by workload as the reason for his leave application.

Before concluding the Toshakhana case against Imran Khan, Judge Mohammad Bashir had applied for leave until retirement. 

However, his leave was rejected by the caretaker law ministry, prompting him to return to work.

After delivering judgment on February 7, sentencing Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi to 14 years in rigorous prison in the Toshakhana case, Judge Bashir left the courtroom, feeling unwell and received treatment from doctors at Adiala Jail Hospital.

The Accountability Court also disqualified Mr Khan from holding any public office for 10 years and imposed a fine of Rs1.573 billion on him and Bushra Bibi.

Judge Mohammad Bashir is the longest-serving judge of the accountability court of Islamabad and is approaching the age of retirement in March 2024. 

Appointed as the accountability judge in 2012 for a three-year term, he received an extension for an additional three years while presiding over cases involving former president Asif Ali Zardari.

He stepped down from his position on March 12, 2021, after his unprecedented nine-year tenure in the federal capital. 

Judge Bashir was granted another three-year extension during the PTI government as he presided over the Avenfield properties reference against the three-time premier Nawaz Sharif and his family.

Judge Bashir has served nine-year continuous service in an accountability court since the promulgation of the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO), 1999. The extensions were granted under the direction of the then Chief Justice of Pakistan, Mian Saqib Nisar.