Inside Look at the Al-Qadir Trust Case

• Imran Khan, the former premier of Pakistan, along with his spouse Bushra Bibi, and a few other people are declared culprits in the Al-Qadir Trust Case.
• Judge Nasir Javed Rana declared a verdict in which Imran Khan was sentenced to 14 years in prison while Bushra Bibi remained in jail for 7 years. Moreover, they are charged with Rs 1 million and 500,000 fines, respectively.

What is the Al-Qadir Trust Case?

Al-Qadir Trust Case revolves around Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi and the Bahria Town owner Malik Riaz Hussain with his few other associates. In December 2023, the National Accountability Bureau(NAB) highlighted that the PTI founder and his wife were involved in the corruption case. According to the NAB, PTI has illegally transferred state funds into private accounts.

The allegation made against Imran and Bushra is that both have illegally acquired land and rupees from Bahria Town Ltd. According to the suspicion, the PTI government took the step to legalise Rs 50 billion that was given to Pakistan during the PTI regime.

In February 2024, Imran and Bushra first came to light right after the general elections. The court postponed the verdict several times, sometimes due to winter vacations and the absence of the suspects and their representatives in the court. However, NAB has informed the media that the accused were given several chances to prove their innocence, but they failed to provide enough evidence so they may be declared innocent. 

Verdict on Al-Qadir Trust case:

After several delays in the verdict, Judge Nasir Javed Rana has finally announced the verdict. The verdict was announced in Adiala Jail. In the verdict, Imran Khan and Bushra are finally declared culprits in this corruption case. The judge announced 14 years imprisonment and a Rs 1 minion fine for Imran Khan while his spouse, Bushra Bibi, was sentenced to 7 years imprisonment and a Rs 500,000 fine.

In case if the culprits do not pay this fine then their duration of imprisonment will be long. Six months increase in Imran’s prison duration while 3 months will be added to Bushra’s prison duration.

Imran Khan’s stance on the verdict:

Imran Khan, the former Premier of Pakistan and the culprit of the Al-Qadir case showed his dissatisfaction and displeasure with the verdict. He said that the whole verdict is a political game aiming to target and defame him and his political party. He, however, declared it a “mockery verdict.” 

While talking through his social media accounts, X and Facebook, Imran Khan condemned the decision. He stated that the whole decision was pre-planned. There is no transparency and authenticity in the verdict. However, the whole case was false, and the verdict is based on the partial proof provided to the government. He also said that before making an official announcement of the verdict, the decision and the punishment were already leaked on social media so that the decision could be partial.

Imran Khan, however, said that the ones who leak the news on social media are the ones who wrote this decision. He said that these people are tarnishing the integrity of the legal system.

Imran Khan, however, said that all these steps are being taken in order to defame him and his political party. The opposition wanted to tear me up and break my spirit, but he promised that he would never lose his hope and spirit. Imran Khan vowed to fight till his last breath. Khan also said that he would struggle to instil democracy in the country, and if he had to be in prison for the longest time to bring a true sense of freedom to Pakistan, then he would willingly do it.

He said, “First and foremost, you must not lose hope! We will fight till the last ball, and I will not make any deals. I will face all the false cases brought against me.” He also mentioned that the current dictators are leading Pakistan to destruction. He criticised the legal system of the country. He said that the judiciary has lessened its image, especially when judges follow the military blindly and give a verdict that favours their interests. 

Imran alleged the renowned public figures:

Imran Khan, however, blamed Nawaz Sharif, the former Premier of Pakistan, and his son. He said that a case should be made on them due to their illegal selling of  £9 billion to the business tycoon for £18 billion. He questioned the source of income of PMLN and why PMLN did not provide the receipts demanded in the Panama Paper case. 

Imran Khan also criticised Justice Qazi Faez Isa for his involvement in the money laundering case in the Hudaibiya Mills case. As per Al-Qadir University, he said the institute is meant for common men’s welfare and is a totally interest-free sector in Pakistan.

Imran in support of his wife:

Imran Khan came in support of his wife and said that his wife is an innocent soul. She has always been there for him in the ups and downs. His wife has been an unwavering stone for him in his difficult time. She is even away from politics, but because she is his wife, that is why everyone is targeting her to break my spirit. 

My wife is a housewife, and she is taking all these challenges as tests from Allah. That is why she is steadfast and resilient towards unfair decisions by the corrupt.

Imran demands an authentic Judicision committee:

Imran Khan showed his insecurities with the current judiciary. He said that he wants an authentic judiciary to investigate the May 9 riots and the November 26 incident. He said that now there will be no more bilateral communication with the opposition as it is obvious from Al-Qadir’s verdict that the government does not want fair accountability. It does not permit unbiased people to make a fair decision.