Al-Qadir verdict: ‘Imran Khan had tears in his eyes, smile on his face,’ claims reporter

With an accountability court handing down sentences to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the Al-Qadir Trust case, a reporter has claimed to have noticed the former premier tearing up with a smile on his face when the verdict was announced.

Judge Nasir Javed Rana on Friday sentenced Khan and Bushra to prison for 14 years and seven years, respectively, besides imposing fines worth Rs1 million on the incarcerated PTI founder and Rs500,000 on the former first lady. Bushra was taken into custody from the makeshift courtroom in Adiala Jail where Khan is already locked up in multiple cases against him.

As the verdict makes headlines, drawing reactions from government members, experts, and opposition leaders, reporter Mohsin Bilal, who was present in the courtroom, has claimed to have spotted Khan tearing up with a smile on his face.

The reporter, belonging to a digital media outlet, claimed that the former premier seemed worried and confused but somehow managed to keep up his usual persona.

Earlier, Bilal also claimed to have overheard Bushra telling her jailed husband about two journalists who talked against him on the air, adding that she pointed at Hassan Ayub and Rizwan Razi.

AL-QADIR TRUST CASE & VERDICT:

The Al-Qadir Trust or £190 million case pertains to allegations that Khan, along with his wife and others, in 2019 was involved in misappropriation of funds worth a whopping Rs50 billion, which had been returned to Pakistan by the National Crime Agency (NCA) of the United Kingdom (UK).

The amount, according to the case against Khan, was related to Bahria Town owner Malik Riaz’s assets that were seized by the NCA during PTI’s government in Pakistan. Even though it was decided that the recovered amount would be submitted to the Supreme Court on behalf of Riaz, Al-Qadir Trust was set up a few weeks later following an agreement with the property tycoon for legal cover to the black money received from the NCA.

It was also under said case that Khan was first arrested on May 9, 2023, leading to the infamous violent protests by his party across the country.

According to the 148-page verdict on Friday, the former premier was convicted for “corrupt practices” and “misuse of authority”, while the former first lady was convicted for “involvement in illegal activities”.

Khan was convicted under Section 9(a)(ii)(iv)(vi) of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999, whereas Bushra was convicted under Sections 9(a)(xii) of the same ordinance for “aiding, assisting, and abetting” corruption and corrupt practices.