Imran Khan claims innocence ahead of Al-Qadir Trust verdict

Disseminating his conversation with media on X formerly Twitter, former premier Imran Khan said that if he is convicted in the ‘fabricated’ £190 million Al-Qadir trust case, the current government would be making a mockery of themselves, which would only tarnish their reputation further: “They are about to convict me in a case where I have gained nothing personally, nor has the government suffered any loss.”

The verdict against former Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi, set to be announced today, had been deferred for the third time. Judge Nasir Javed Rana had announced that the verdict in the case had been postponed till January 17.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder’s tweet further stated that the real culprit was former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif who had ‘received’ a bribe of nine billion rupees: “Nawaz Sharif and Zardari have numerous cases against them, like the Mayfair Apartments, and they have illegally acquired the most expensive vehicles from Toshakhana. All these cases against them are open and shut, but they were dropped because they struck a deal. Even in this case, Nawaz Sharif should be held accountable for the 9 billion rupees.”

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Khan’s tweet stressed that his wife, Bushra Bibi was not involved in the Al-Qadir Trust case: “The only reason for including her in the case was to pressure me. Earlier, Bushra Bibi was unjustly imprisoned for 9 months.”

For someone who has often mocked people for being neutral, Khan’s tweet pointed out that he was the one who introduced the concept of neutral empires in cricket and said that a ‘completely’ neutral and transparent judicial commission should be formed to investigate the incidents of May 9 and November 26: “In the world, no one who knows they are doing something wrong would appoint a neutral umpire.”

He added that the party would also write to head of the constitutional bench Justice Aminuddin, to hear their petition regarding the human rights violations against them: “Our innocent people who are in military custody have been subjected to the worst mental and physical torture. Our cases should be heard on a priority basis. We have also prepared to write to international human rights organisations and the United Nations in this regard because we are not getting justice from any court in Pakistan. Judges like Qazi Faiz Isa and Aamer Farooq have always played the role of opening batsmen for the establishment. And the current constitutional bench is also an extension of them.”

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Without taking names, the former cricketer also alluded to a certain General Pinochet who was a powerful general in the West, but was severely punished for human rights abuses and torture. Khan also said that the workers who left PTI on May 9 were acquitted of all charges.

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“On February 8, our rights were shamelessly stolen, and elections were rigged, making a mockery of the entire world. After open theft of the mandate, there is instability everywhere in Pakistan. The whole nation will observe February 8 as a black day. On that day, a fake government was established through Form 47, which strangled democracy and the people of Pakistan. Since then, there has been neither political stability nor economic stability in the country,” he said in the tweet.

Referring to the ongoing talks between PTI, the government as well as establishment, Khan wrote that the talks were not for personal gain, but for the greater good of the country: “To end the political and economic crises facing Pakistan, to control terrorism, and to resolve other serious issues facing the country, it is necessary to end the political crisis.”