ISLAMABAD, JAN 17: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) announced on Friday challenging the punishment handed down to party founder, Imran Khan, and his wife, Bushra Bibi, in the Al-Qadir Trust case.
“We will challenge this verdict in the superior courts,” vowed Omar Ayub, the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly and a senior PTI leader, during a press conference in Islamabad.
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“Open-and-shut case”
In a press conference alongside Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Information Minister Ataullah Tarar asserted that the case followed the law and that a religion card had been used in the proceedings.
The information minister said that it was an “open-and-shut case” and the verdict was based on merit.
Minister Ata pointed out that Khan, the former prime minister, had failed to present concrete evidence in court, leading to his conviction. He stressed that despite the defence counsel’s political approach to the case, the court’s decision was firmly grounded in the facts presented.
“The defence lawyer was unable to prove innocence, and the case demonstrated clear corruption and bribery,” Ata said, adding that the sentence had been delivered following legal requirements and on merit.
For his part, Law Minister Azam confirmed that Imran Khan has the right to appeal the conviction.
PTI leaders react to ‘baseless’ conviction
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar, speaking to the media outside Adiala Jail, criticised the verdict against the party’s founder, calling it “another addition to the chapter of controversial decisions.”
Barrister Gohar emphasised that the PTI founder had not taken any money, reiterating that both Khan and Bushra remain undeterred by the current situation.
He expressed confidence in the legal process, announcing that an appeal against the case verdict would be filed in the high court within a few days.
“The PTI founder will be released soon,” Gohar declared, highlighting that Khan has spent 27 years “striving for justice” in Pakistan.
“It is unfortunate that someone who made such great sacrifices for justice is now being denied the same.”
Gohar also shared that the PTI founder has urged for negotiations to continue, saying that these talks will proceed for seven days. He further noted that Khan’s morale remains high, and the imposed sentence will be overturned soon.
Calling it a ‘Black Day’, Opposition Leader in the Senate Shibli Faraz said that superior courts would dismiss the “baseless” case against the PTI founder.
“In this country, thieves roam freely, while the innocent and honest individuals who walk the path of righteousness are being targeted,” said Faraz.
He emphasised that Al-Qadir University, established to teach and promote the life of the Prophet (PBUH) and Islamic education, had caused no loss to the government, nor had Khan or Bushra gained any personal benefit from it.
Faraz further highlighted Khan’s legacy, citing the establishment of Namal University and Pakistan’s largest network of cancer hospitals.
“A person who builds Namal University, someone who establishes hospitals for cancer treatment, the largest of their kind across multiple cities in Pakistan, is being punished for setting up Al-Qadir University,” he said.
The opposition leader lamented the state of governance and accountability in Pakistan. “This is a nation where the rule of law and the supremacy of the constitution do not exist.
Those who have looted this country are now sitting as respected individuals, while honest citizens struggle with inflation or languish in jails,” the senator said.
Faraz reiterated PTI’s commitment to seeking justice through legal means, saying: “We will take these matters to other courts, as we have done in the past, whether it was the cipher case, the Toshakhana case, or any other which the courts threw out.”
“A new dawn will come, God willing. We remain steadfast and are committed to the rule of law and the supremacy of the constitution, and we will continue to operate within that framework God willing,” he declared.
PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram told Geo News that the decision would be challenged in the Islamabad High Court.
He further clarified that this was a case meant for acquittal, emphasising that there was no “justification for a conviction”. Akram also asserted that a baseless case had been filed against the founder of PTI.
Khan’s lawyer Faisal Chaudhry, speaking to reporters outside Adiala jail, condemned “NAB’s political usage”, saying the accountability watchdog had become a tool in government’s hands. “NAB’s investigation [in Al-Qadir Trust case] is flawed.”
“The public prosecutor’s evidence neither contained any proof of monetary gains, crime proceeds, nor of financial corruption,” he added.
Chaudhry claimed till date the prosecutor did not present, on record, a single case of money laundering, whether of UK court or Pakistan court, against the PTI founder.
He also questioned the integrity of the judge, saying: “This is […] hand-picked judge was declared by the Supreme Court as not worthy of being appointed as a judge,” he said.
An accountability court in Islamabad — after delaying the verdict three times — convicted the PTI founder and his wife, Bushra Bibi, in the £190 million case.
Accountability Court Judge Nasir Javed Rana handed down a 14-year sentence to the PTI founder and a seven-year sentence to his wife, while also slapping heavy fines on them.
The PTI founder will have to pay a fine of Rs1 million and his wife has been slapped with a fine of Rs0.5 million. In case they fail to pay the fine, the ex-prime minister will serve six months more and Bushra three months.
The Al-Qadir Trust case, commonly known as the £190m case involved allegations that Imran and some others in 2019 adjusted Rs50 billion — amounting to £190 million at the time — sent by Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to the Pakistani government during his tenure as the country’s prime minister.
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