ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Friday announced to file an appeal against the court verdict, declaring party founding chief Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi guilty in the £190m reference.
Addressing media in the federal capital, PTI stalwart and Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Omar Ayub said they would challenge the verdict in the higher courts.
Calling it a ‘Black Day’, Leader of Opposition in Senate Shibli Faraz said that superior courts would dismiss the “baseless” case against Imran.
“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 media 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 governments 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. “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.
“There was no evidence of monetary gain, crime proceed or financial corruption. This is a nonsense decision of a nonsense case.”
He added: “Today is a black day; today the public’s rights are being robbed, today is again another attempt at political target against Imran. Courts have not been able to protect citizens’ rights, nor give decisions according to the law.”
Meanwhile, PTI leaders and supporters staged a protest outside Parliament House, held placards, and chanted slogans, demanding Imran’s release.
