— Urges superior judiciary’s intervention to help correct injustice, restore judicial sanctity
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram on Saturday strongly criticised the court verdict in Al-Qadir University case, saying that the verdict reflected judge’s bias in calling the Al-Qadir University Project Trust as a “sham trust”.
PTI leader said that since the court verdict had been leaked to the media few days before the judgement was announced, it proved that it was a premeditated judgement. He emphasized that an appeal would be filed with the higher courts within days to challenge the unfair judgment. He expressed optimism that Imran Khan would soon be released from unlawful detention.
He said PTI founder Imran Khan brought the laundered money back to Pakistan and used it for a public welfare project, unlike certain corrupt individuals who exploited national wealth to invest in opulent foreign properties like Surrey Palace and the Avenfield apartments.
Waqas termed the court’s decision, sentencing party founder Imran Khan and his spouse, Bushra Bibi, in the Al-Qadir Trust case, as shameful, a blatant travesty of justice, and a murder of justice.
Waqas stated that the Supreme Court had already declared the judge in question as unfit for judicial service, stripping him of his judicial powers, emphasizing that the biased and unjust decision would ultimately be overturned on appeal.
“In a country where judges themselves have to seek justice, how can they be expected to deliver justice to others,” argued the PTI leader.
The PTI CIS said that it’s high time for the superior judiciary to swiftly intervene to fix the wrong and restore the fast-eroding sanctity of the judiciary because the premeditated decisions made by lower courts over the past year and a half had not only severely damaged the judiciary’s image but it also further eroded the public trust in the judicial system.
Sheikh Waqas said that labeling a charitable organization as a ‘shame trust’ was not only inappropriate and wrong but disgusting and unfortunate because hundreds of students had already been enrolled in the university, receiving religious and spiritual education.
He stated the judge’s decision to call the philanthropic project as a ‘shame trust’ was a calculated move to unjustly punish Imran Khan and his wife in the most absurd and concocted case, adding that instead of convicting PTI founder and his spouse, question must be asked from Nawaz Sharif for the suspicious transactions by Hassan Nawaz.
Waqas stated that the Al-Qadir Trust Case verdict was the most absurd decision in Pakistan’s history, lacking substance and being politically motivated, adding that January 17 would be remembered as a ‘Black Day’ in the country’s history due to this judgement.
He hoped that this case, like numerous other fabricated ones, would soon be thrown in the dustbin of history because Imran Khan and his wife didn’t financially benefit from the charitable organization, as they were merely trustees, not owners.
He emphasized that Imran Khan was falsely implicated in the fabricated and politically motivated cases to coerce him into a deal. However, Waqas said that Khan, his party leaders and workers refused to back down, vowing to pursue their vision of transforming Pakistan into a welfare state modeled after the State of Madinah come what may.
The PTI CIS stated that the mandate thieves had failed to crush the nation’s spirit and courage despite the unprecedented brutality and a reign of terror during the past over two years.
He vehemently denounced Maryam Safdar for her claim that Imran Khan-founded Al-Qadir University was now under her control, saying that she ruined the province’s education system in a short span of time.
Waqas Akram emphasized that the Punjab’s government ineptness to run the government schools could be judged from the fact that around 20,000 educational institutions had already been handed over to NGOs.
He strongly condemned the deployment of contingent of force outside the Al-Qadir University, terming it an act of intimidation and harassment of the students. He lamented that the rulers disregarded the catastrophic economic and political implications of keeping Khan imprisoned because they were well-aware that his release would mark the end of their political careers.
He stated that the country had fallen into the clutches of a ruthless mafia, who were determined to cling to power at any cost, even if it meant sacrificing the nation’s interests.
Waqas said that Khan was being politically victimized, while the truly corrupt individuals, including plunderers, mandate thieves and killers roamed free in the country and fraudulently imposed on the nation.
