Pakistan: Islamabad court postpones verdict against Imran Khan and his wife in Al-Qadir Trust case

The court had reserved the verdict on December 18 and said that it would be announced on December 23. While presiding over the hearing today, judge Nasir Javed Rana said, "The verdict will not be announced today; [winter] vacations are coming and there is also a course at the high court," according to Dawn report.

The winter vacation in court is scheduled to start tomorrow and will continue till January 1. The judge made the announcement after former Pakistan PM Imran Khan's lawyer Khalid Chaudhry said his team was expecting the verdict today. Judge Rana stated the new date for the verdict's announcement would be issued soon.

PTI founder and his wife were indicted in the case on February 27. The case alleges that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi received billions of rupees and hundreds of kanals of land from Bahria Town Ltd for legalising Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 50 billion that was identified and returned to Pakistan by the United Kingdom during the previous PTI government.

In December, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had registered a corruption case against PTI and seven others, including his wife, in connection with the Al-Qadir University Trust.

The case filed by NAB alleged that Imran Kjhan played a "pivotal role in the illicit transfer of funds meant for the state of Pakistan into an account designated for the payment of land by Bahria Town, Karachi". It also claimed that the accused, despite given multiple opportunities deliberately, with mala fide intention, did not share information on one pretext or another.

The suspects in the reference include property tycoon Malik Riaz Hussain and his son Ahmed Ali Riaz, Mirza Shehzad Akbar, and Zulfi Bukhari. However, they instead of cooperating in the probe and subsequent court proceedings, they absconded and were subsequently declared proclaimed offenders (PO), Dawn reported.

Farhat Shahzadi, a close friend of Bushra Bibi, and Ziaul Mustafa Nasim, a legal expert for the PTI government's Assets Recovery Unit, were also declared POs. The properties of all six accused had been frozen.

While testifying before the accountability court on December 10, Imran Khan denied the corruption charges, calling them "politically motivated" orchestrated by his opponents allegedly with the support of state institutions. He further said, "My political rivals have weaponised institutions to crush dissent and curb democracy."

Imran Khan has been incarcerated in Adiala jail since his arrest last year based on several cases. Following his arrest in 2023, PTI's ties with the government and establishment have been strained. Since his arrest, the PTI has held several protests calling for his release over the last year, majority of which escalated into violence after facing state repression.

After PTI's power show in November, tensions increased as there were renewed calls to ban Imran Khan's party and task forces established against an alleged "malicious campaign" as the PTI claimed that dozens of party supporters were killed during the march, the claim denied by the government, Dawn reported.

After Imran Khan constituted a five-member committee to hold talks, the government reciprocated by forming its own negotiation committee comprising members of the ruling coalition. The two sides are set to meet today, where they are expected to discuss their demands. (ANI)