PESHAWAR: As an accountability court is scheduled to pronounce verdict in £190 million case against former prime minister Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi today (Monday), Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf central secretary information Sheikh Waqas Akram here on Sunday termed it a clear case of acquittal as the prosecution couldn’t prove any wrongdoing against the duo.

He said that during the entire trial no evidence could be produced against PTI founder Imran Khan and his spouse to connect them with any financial gain in the matter.

Speaking at a press conference, he said that to keep the sanctity of judiciary, the trial court should acquit Mr Khan and Bushra Bibi in the ‘fabricated’ case. He said that neither the £190 million in question had been credited to the account of Mr Khan nor to that of Bushra Bibi, rather the same was deposited in the account of Supreme Court of Pakistan.

During the entire proceedings in the court, no witnesses provided testimony that Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi or Al-Qadir Trust gained financial benefits from the £190 million, he said.

Waqas Akram says his party has not attached any expectation to Trump administration

Mr Akram said that the officials of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) informed the court during its proceedings that no one gained financial benefit from the £190 million nor the amount was misappropriated. Such officials also declared that it was not a case of conflict of interests, he claimed.

However, an environment was created that gave an impression that the court was bent upon to convict him in the case, he said. He added there was nothing in the case to convict Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi.

“We will not accept the murder of justice,” he said. He added that Imran Khan should be awarded justice by acquitting him as the case was a political victimisation.

He said that Al-Qadir Trust was a university, which was providing education to the students. The land transferred to Al-Qadir Trust was not private property of Imran Khan, his wife or any other one rather the entire land was registered in the name of the trust, he said.

The PTI leader said that even if Al-Qadir Trust was abolished somehow, the land would not be transferred to any individual under the law rather it would be transferred to another trust.

He said that if such a trust was established in any other country of the world, the rulers would award the person behind it while in Pakistan it was defamed. “I wonder where and who is writing the verdict which is postponed time and again,” he said, adding that the verdict should be announced today (Monday) as the entire nation was waiting anxiously for it.

He alleged that the verdict in £190 million case was postponed to put pressure on Imran Khan and force him to cow down before the powers that be. However, Imran Khan reiterated that no one could pressurise him by putting him behind bars in ridiculous cases, he said.

“You have made judicial system of the country a joke,” the PTI leader said without naming anyone. He added the nation and history would not forget the verdicts currently released by judiciary and those judges behind such verdicts.

He said that that PTI had not attached any expectation to “Washington and Trump administration” for release of Imran Khan. He said that Imran Khan’s stance was clear in the regime change as the Bidden administration was involved in his removal.

Published in Dawn, January 13th, 2025