PTI vows to challenge ruling as govt hails ‘just deserts’

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf on Friday announced its intention to challenge the conviction of its jailed founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the £190 pound Al-Qadir Trust case, while the government tried to justify the punishment as “just deserts” for the former prime minister.

Reacting to the announcement of the verdict on Friday, PTI leaders such as Omar Ayub, Sheikh Waqqas Akram and others protested the couple’s innocence and maintained that their party founder had been subjected to political victimisation.

“We will challenge the verdict in the superior courts,” the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly told a press conference after the verdict.

Interim party chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan divulged that an appeal would be filed before the high court within a few days, and hoped that Mr Khan would be released soon.

He also said the party founder, whose morale was high despite his conviction, had directed them to continue talks with the government.

Omar Ayub said that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi had nothing to do with the money involved in the case, adding that those who had laundered it were living freely abroad.

His counterpart in the Senate echoed these sentiments, saying that while thieves are roaming freely, those who are innocent and honest, and on the path of righteousness are being punished.

PTI lawyer Faisal Chaudhry termed the decision an example of the “political use of NAB”.

“There was no evidence of monetary gain, crime proceed or financial corruption. This is a nonsense decision of a nonsense case,” he claimed.

Meanwhile, the party’s spokesperson, Sheikh Waqqas Akram, smelled a rat in the way the decision had been put off multiple times by Judge Nasir Javed Rana, and also questioned his competence.

Addressing a press conference at the KP information department on Friday, Mr Akram said that there was definitely some kind of interference or agenda behind the many postponements of the Al-Qadir Trust case verdict over the past weeks.

He said that previously, three judges hearing the case were changed, and the one who announced the verdict was fourth judge to hear the matter.

The judge, Mr Akram went on to say, was declared by the Supreme Court in 2004 as “unfit for judicial service” and his judicial powers were also withdrawn.

Mr Akram said the PTI rejected this verdict, arguing that if it had been heard under the tenants of law and justice, Imran Khan would have been exonerated.

He said that Imran Khan could not be cowed with such tactics. He said that the cases against the PTI founder were bogus and lacking any substance and this case too would soon find itself in a dustbin.

Govt hails verdict

Reacting to the conviction of Imran Khan and her spouse, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said: “He is the first prime minister in history who was caught red-handed while stealing.”

Speaking to students of University of Okara on Friday, she said the stock market rose as soon as the verdict was announced. “When sedition goes down, the nations progresses. We faced 150 trials and bravely fought against false accusations. When we were in jail, we could not meet our family. We got food once in 24 hours.”

About the Al-Qadir University, Maryam said she saw a video of some students of the varsity who had invited her to visit them. “Students will get religious and conventional education and I will also award them scholarships and laptops.”

In a joint press conference, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and Information Minister Ataullah Tarar justified Mr Khan’s conviction, saying that it was an open-and-shut matter and the verdict was based on the merits of the case.

According to the Associated Press of Pakistan, the law minister explained that the issue first came to light when the current government took office. “The matter was discussed in a cabinet meeting, where it was revealed that the UK’s Asset Recovery Unit had launched an investigation. Initially, Hussain Nawaz was among those named in the case but was later cleared following an inquiry.”

His cabinet colleague, the information minister, blamed the defence counsel for fighting the case on political grounds and not submitting any evidence to counter the proof brought forward by the prosecution.

Mr Tarar said it was ironic that the money confiscated by NCA and returned to Pakistan was returned to the very person from whom it was taken, i.e. Malik Riaz.

“Corruption and bribery are proven in this case, misuse of authority is also proven,” he said.

Separately, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif assailed the PTI founder for his hypocrisy, saying that while he was campaigning against “thieves and robbers”, he committed a major fraud by putting Pakistan’s money into Malik Riaz’s account.

He claimed the so-called Al-Qadir University did not exist; it has been four years since the university opened, but it still has about 300 students to date. “Do universities have the same number of students in so many years,” he asked.

He said that Malik Riaz had fled the country because he was the biggest beneficiary, as Imran Khan sent all this money to his account.

Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal also weighed in, saying that “the biggest graft case in the political history of Pakistan” had exposed the real face of the PTI founder and his spouse.

To cover up their corruption, he said the trio of Imran, Bushra and Malik Riaz staged a drama by setting up a university, adding that no charitable work could be justified if it was carried out with looted and plundered money.

Aslam Piracha in Okara and Manzoor Ali in Peshawar also contributed to this report

Published in Dawn, January 18th, 2025