By Bureau Report
By our correspondents
SIALKOT/LAHORE/KARACHI/ PESHAWAR/ISLAMABAD: The government and the beleaguered Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) engaged in a chorus of allegations ahead of the verdict in the high-profile £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case against the PTI founder chairman Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi.
The first salvo came from the Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif who said while accusations had been made against the past rulers, what transpired during the PTI’s government was “unprecedented”.
Talking to the reporters in Sialkot on Sunday, he expressed the hope that “justice will prevail” as an accountability court is set to announce its judgment on Monday (today), reports Geo News.
The ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) senior leader alleged that Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) had sent the settlement money to Pakistan; however, the then-premier Khan allegedly used the funds to purchase land for the Al-Qadir Trust.
He asked the national media to investigate whether Al-Qadir Trust was a university or not.
“We hope that a verdict will be announced tomorrow and justice will be served,” he added.
The reserved verdict was previously scheduled for January 6. The judgment was deferred multiple times by the accountability court which had reserved it on December 18.
The former ruling couple and others have been accused by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) of causing a loss of £190 million to the national exchequer via a settlement between the PTI government and a property tycoon. The said case is part of a plethora of legal challenges faced by the incarcerated PTI founder who has been behind bars for more than one year after he was sentenced in Toshakhana case-1.
Asif also slammed the former ruling party for expecting support from the new US administration led by President-elect Donald Trump down the line. Asif further said no contact had been made [by Washington] at the government level to seek relief for the PTI founder.
He also criticised the PTI for bowing down to the same country they had once refused to submit to, saying “no to slavery”.
Highlighting rifts in the PTI leadership, the PMLN leader pointed out that Aleema Khan, the former premier’s sister, had made statements before the media, while some PTI leaders appeared to prefer seeing their founder remain behind bars.
In response to a question, Asif blamed the PTI founder’s family and PTI leaders for “politically exploiting [Imran Khan’s] party”.
He pointed to the November 26 protest in support of his claim, stating that while Khan had agreed to stage a sit-in at Sangjani, Bushra took the PTI protesters to D-Chowk and then “fled from there”.
Ali Raza from Lahore reports: Meanwhile, PMLN leader Talal Chaudhry Sunday strongly criticised the former ruling couple for their alleged involvement in the 190 million pound ‘theft’.
Addressing the media in Lahore, he said on 3rd Dec 2019, a sealed envelope was presented in the cabinet for the first time. The case investigation had been going on since 2018 and the governments of Pakistan and the UK had been in touch with each other, which was not disclosed to the nation.
He said the money, which was to be deposited in the national treasury, was deposited as fine imposed on the ‘company’ by the Supreme Court.
Azeem Samar from Karachi reports: Meanwhile, Senator Faisal Vawda Sunday said Imran Khan cannot escape punishment in the Al Qadir Trust case come what may.
“Every crime carries punishment. No one will acknowledge this but it’s a fact that others became beneficiaries in this case and now you will have to face the punishment,” he said while speaking to reporters in Karachi.
The former PTI leader recalled that he earlier also predicted that punishment would be handed down to Imran.
Vawda further recalled that he had warned Imran Khan at the time of approval of the proposal concerning 190 million pounds by the then federal cabinet that he (the PTI founder) would have to face a case and punishment in future.
The former PTI leader said he had been repeating for the past two-and-a-half years that the relatives of Imran Khan in his party had been conspiring to kill him during imprisonment. “Imran Khan’s life is in danger from these people. One shouldn’t consider himself an alien from heaven merely based on his popularity. Don’t pay attention to these people, as they want to keep you in prison,” said the senator while advising the PTI founder.
He said if any mishap happened with Imran Khan during imprisonment, then its repercussions for the Pakistani politics could last 50 years. He maintained that there was no internal or external pressure on the government or the PTI to hold talks with each other.
He claimed that the PTI hadn’t been involved in any backdoor talks with anyone at any forum. “They shouldn’t be carrying a begging bowl if they are indulging in the backdoor talks,” said Senator Vawda about the PTI leaders. “One should progress with sincerity if one needs to hold talks,” he said.
The former PTI leader said that he was fully in favour of talks between the government and the opposition. He advised the political associates of Imran Khan to show mercy to him (PTI founder).
“Talks should be held with sincerity. One doesn’t show any sincerity if he keeps his leader suffering and languishing in jail,” he said.
Senator Vawda asked the followers of Imran Khan to become concerned about his (PTI founder’s) life. “His own people have conspired to kill him,” he said. He said the external situation was favourable for Pakistan as the current foreign affairs didn’t suit Imran Khan.
Our Peshawar Bureau reports: Meanwhile, PTI Secretary Information Sheikh Waqas Sunday expressed concern over the repeated postponements in the Al-Qadir Trust case and said such practices undermined public confidence in the judicial process. He, however, hoped that the long-awaited judgement would be announced on Monday (today).
Speaking in Peshawar, he said, “The land associated with the Al-Qadir Trust is not a private property,” adding the NAB witnesses had testified that no funds were deposited in the accounts of the former prime minister and his wife.
Waqas pointed out that the NAB’s current amendments granted exemptions to the cabinet decisions, clarifying that the funds in question were deposited in the Supreme Court’s account, not in the accounts of any private individuals. The Trust and its trustees, according to Waqas, had been unfairly targeted.
“Establishing welfare institutions is the government’s responsibility, but those who engage in philanthropic work are being harassed,” he remarked.
Sheikh Waqas defended the integrity of the Trust, asserting, “If the Trust were dissolved, even then, the land could not be claimed by any individual or their heirs.”
He rejected the accusations against the trustees, saying they neither benefited personally from the funds nor misused the government resources.
Comparing Al-Qadir Trust case to other high-profile cases, Waqas highlighted concerns about the country’s judicial system, calling it a mockery.
“The Al-Qadir Trust case is a testament to judicial overreach and political targeting. The nation’s eyes are on today’s decision,” he said.
He also took a swipe at the political rivals, alleging that figures like Khawaja Asif had previously expressed dissatisfaction with the decisions made without consulting the party members. “We demand an independent judiciary that makes unbiased decisions,” he added.
Mumtaz Alvi from Islamabad reports: PTI senior leader and ex-speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser Sunday reacted strongly to the statements of PMLN leaders Khawaja Asif and Talal Chaudhry and said it was clear that they knew about the decision already.
In a statement on his social media account ‘X’, he noted that after the press conference of Khawaja Asif and Talal Chaudhry, it had become clear where was the decision written. He said the Al-Qadir Trust was a non-profit welfare institution. Imran did not get any benefit from the Al-Qadir Trust adding the case trial was not transparent. He claimed that there was no solid evidence against the founder of PTI in the case, which was based on pure revenge.
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