Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) announced on Friday that it will challenge the conviction of its imprisoned founder, Imran Khan, and his wife, Bushra Bibi, in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case. Meanwhile, the government described the ruling as “just deserts” for the former prime minister.
PTI leaders, including Omar Ayub and Sheikh Waqqas Akram, rejected the verdict, claiming it was a result of political victimization. “We will challenge this decision in the superior courts,” said the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly during a press conference.
Interim PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan stated that an appeal would be filed in the high court within days, expressing hope for Imran Khan’s swift release. Omar Ayub asserted that neither Imran Khan nor Bushra Bibi were connected to the funds in question, accusing those responsible for laundering the money of living freely abroad.
PTI lawyer Faisal Chaudhry criticized the verdict as politically motivated, calling it “a baseless decision in a baseless case,” while insisting there was no evidence of financial corruption or criminal activity.
Sheikh Waqqas Akram raised concerns over Judge Nasir Javed Rana’s repeated delays in delivering the verdict, questioning his qualifications and alleging interference in the judicial process. Akram pointed out that three judges had been replaced before the case concluded, with Judge Rana being the fourth to preside. He added that the Supreme Court had previously declared Judge Rana “unfit for judicial service” in 2004 and revoked his judicial powers.
The opposition continues to maintain that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi are innocent, emphasizing that the legal fight will persist in higher courts.
