ISLAMABAD: The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday condemned the verdict against former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case, terming it “murder of justice” and seeking the intervention of the superior judiciary.

The remarks by PTI’s Cen­tral Information Se­c­re­tary Sheikh Waqqas Akram came a day after an accountability court sentenced Imran Khan to 14 years in prison and Bushra Bibi to seven years in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust case.

Meanwhile, the party called an emergency core committee meeting late Saturday night, Aaj TV reported, quoting PTI sources. The meeting was expected to focus on the Al-Qadir Trust case and discuss future legal and political strategies.

In a statement, Mr Akram announced that an appeal would be filed in the higher judiciary within days to challenge the ruling.

He claimed Mr Khan had brought the launde­red money back to Pakis­tan and used it for a public welfare, “unlike certain individuals who exp­loited natio­nal wealth to invest in opulent foreign properties like Surrey Palace and the Avenfield apartments”.

Criticising the decision as biased and unjust, he pointed out that the Supreme Court had alre­ady declared the presiding judge unfit for judicial service. “In a country where judges themselves seek justice, how can they deliver justice to others?” he wondered.

He said it was high time the superior judiciary swiftly intervened in the matter 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 only damaged the judiciary’s image and eroded the public trust in the judicial system.

Responding to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s claims of taking control of Al-Qadir University, Mr Akram accused her of mismanaging Punjab’s education system.

He emphasised that Punjab government’s “ineptitude” in running government schools could be judged by the fact that around 20,000 educational institutions had already been handed over to NGOs.

The PTI leader also strongly condemned the deployment of police outside Al-Qadir University, terming it an act of intimidation and harassment of students.

He lamented that the power usurpers disregarded the catastrophic economic and political implications of keeping Imran Khan in prison because “they were well aware that his release would mark the end of their political careers”.

Mr Akram said 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.

He said Mr Khan was being politically victimised, while the truly corrupt individuals, including plunderers, thieves and killers, roamed about freely in and outside the country and have been fraudulently imposed on the nation.

He emphasised that an appeal would be filed with the higher court within days to challenge the “unfair judgement”. He also expressed optimism that Imran Khan would soon be released from unlawful detention,

Published in Dawn, January 19th, 2025