ISLAMABAD:The Federal Constitutional Court of Pakistan (FCCP) on Wednesday reserved its verdict after completing the hearing of petitions seeking suspension of the sentence awarded to Bushra Bibi.
A two-member bench headed by Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan heard the petitions. Bushra Bibi’s counsel, Salman Safdar, appeared at the rostrum, while Salman Akram Raja was also present in the courtroom.
During the hearing, Salman Safdar argued that courts had traditionally adopted a lenient approach in cases involving women. He submitted that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had sought adjournments on several occasions and had also raised objections to the application seeking suspension of the sentence.
The counsel maintained that the grounds for granting bail to Bushra Bibi had arisen following her conviction. He requested the court to suspend her sentence on the basis of her being a woman.
Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan observed that the court did not intend to examine the merits of the case at this stage, as the matter before it concerned only the suspension of the sentence.
The court directed Salman Safdar to submit the key points of his arguments in writing. After completing the hearing, the bench reserved its verdict.