ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) is set to resume hearing on June 11 the petitions seeking suspension of sentences awarded to former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, in the high-profile Al-Qadir Trust case. The hearing, previously deferred at the request of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), could pave the way for bail, said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan.
Addressing the media over the weekend, Mr. Gohar expressed confidence that the party’s founding leader would secure bail in the case. “June 11 will be a significant day for both Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi,” he said, adding that the party would intensify political mobilisation regardless of the legal outcome.
The Al-Qadir Trust case pertains to a £190 million settlement between the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA) and the family of property tycoon Malik Riaz. In 2019, the NCA froze eight UK bank accounts containing funds suspected to be the proceeds of bribery and corruption. The then-PTI government is accused of adjusting these funds—belonging to Pakistan’s national exchequer—against the liabilities of Bahria Town Ltd., Malik Riaz’s real estate firm.
At the centre of the controversy is the Al-Qadir Trust, a non-profit organisation that reportedly received hundreds of acres of donated land from Bahria Town. The trust, which lists only Mr. Khan and Ms. Bibi as trustees, is alleged to have benefited from the settlement through indirect means.
Mr. Khan, incarcerated in Adiala Jail since August 2023 in multiple cases, has maintained that the February 2024 general elections were marred by what he termed “the mother of all rigging.” He has labelled rival parties—the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP)—as “mandate thieves.”
The PTI leadership continues to reject the legitimacy of the PML-N-led coalition government at the Centre. Mr. Gohar also ruled out any negotiation or backdoor settlement for Mr. Khan’s release. “Bushra Bibi is being held without charges in an attempt to coerce the PTI leadership,” he alleged.
The party, he said, has finalised its strategy ahead of the federal budget and will announce its stance in a press conference scheduled for June 9. “We are also calling on opposition parties to join us in a national movement for Pakistan’s survival and stability,” Mr. Gohar added.
Earlier this week, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur threatened to launch a mass mobilisation campaign for Mr. Khan’s release after Eid al-Adha. The former cricketer-turned-politician has himself declared that he will lead anti-government protests from within prison.
The IHC’s decision on June 11 will be closely watched, not only for its legal ramifications but also for its impact on Pakistan’s already volatile political landscape.
(With inputs from agencies)
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