ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) has denounced the conviction of party founder and his wife in the £190m reference, and announced it will file an appeal against the accountability court’s decision in higher courts.
Speaking to the media in the federal capital, Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Omar Ayub said they would challenge the verdict in the higher courts.
While Leader of Opposition in Senate Shibli Faraz, calling it a ‘Black Day’, said superior courts would dismiss the “baseless” case against Khan. “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 Al-Qadir University was established to teach and promote Islamic education and it caused no loss to the government, nor did 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 the decision would be challenged in the Islamabad High Court. He further clarified 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 PTI founder.
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 made personal attacks on the judge, raising question about his honesty. —News Desk