- Says no evidence presented in £190m case so far
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Wednesday dispelled the impression that the party was seeking any Non-Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) through talks with the government, declaring the party’s founder will fight all “fabricated cases” in courts and emerge victorious.
“I want to categorically state that the PTI is not seeking any NRO through the ongoing negotiations with the government and as far as the cases against PTI founder Imran Khan are concerned, everyone know these cases are ‘open and shut’, and politically motivated,” opposition leader in Senate Barrister Ali Zafar said on the floor of the upper house of the parliament.
Both the government and the PTI have been engaged in dialogue and two sessions – one on December 27, 2024, and the other on January 2, 2025 have taken place while the third round is scheduled for Thursday (tomorrow) as summoned by National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq at 11:30am in the Parliament House.
The PTI, which has demanded the release of political prisoners and the formation of a judicial commission for probing the May 9 riots and the November 26 protests, has set the January 31 deadline for the ongoing negotiations to reach a “logical conclusion”.
While the government expressed dismay at the PTI’s failure to submit its demands in writing for several days, party Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan has confirmed that demands will be penned down and hoped for a positive result soon.
Speaking during Senate session, Barrister Zafar mentioned: “We are fighting our cases. We will keep fighting them in courts and emerge victorious. As far as talks are concerned, they have no relation to this. Imran Khan sahib has not demanded this.”
Zafar further mentioned that the Hyde Park property in London belonged to Hassan Nawaz, the son of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
He questioned the source of funds for purchasing such an expensive property, asking: “Where did Hassan Nawaz get the money to buy this property?”
The PTI senator pointed out that the property was acquired during Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Nawaz’s tenure as prime minister.
He alleged that the PTI founder’s case revolves around £190 million, claimed to be proceeds of crime. However, he emphasised that proving the money as illegitimate requires a court ruling.
“To date, no evidence has been presented to establish that these were proceeds of crime,” he said. Zafar further said: “If this is not proven to be criminal money, then the case ends.”
He highlighted that the UK government had decided the money was not linked to criminal activity, leading to the funds being unfrozen.
He criticised the selective approach in the case, saying: “If there was a crime, the entire cabinet, which made the decision, should have been held accountable.
“Instead, only the founder of PTI and his wife were targeted.” Zafar also clarified that trustees of charitable organisations have no personal claim to the assets of those entities.
The much-awaited verdict in the £190 million reference is set to be announced on January 17, after being delayed three times.
