ISLAMABAD, 14 October, 2026 (Nosheen): The Federal Constitutional Court has declared Bushra Bibi’s petition seeking suspension of her sentence inadmissible after hearing arguments from her counsel, Salman Safdar. A two-member bench headed by Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan heard the petition, while Salman Akram Raja was also present in the courtroom. During the proceedings, Salman Safdar argued that courts had traditionally shown leniency towards women and accused the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) of repeatedly seeking adjournments over the past 13 months. He said NAB had also raised objections to the petition seeking suspension of the sentence. Safdar maintained that Bushra Bibi had legal grounds to seek relief following her conviction and had requested suspension of her sentence on the basis of being a woman. He added that the proceedings had largely remained focused on the appeal filed by the PTI founder. Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan advised the counsel to avoid discussing the merits of the case at that stage, clarifying that the court was hearing the petition concerning suspension of the sentence. Justice Baqar Najafi also asked how many times the main appeal had been scheduled for hearing. After concluding the arguments, the chief justice asked the parties to wait for the court’s order and directed Salman Safdar to submit written arguments. The court subsequently announced its decision, declaring Bushra Bibi’s petition seeking suspension of her sentence inadmissible.