PTI to challenge Al-Qadir Trust ruling

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is all set to challenge the judgment in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case before the high court on January 21 (Tuesday), saying the decision is "controversial" and party founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were "wrongly" convicted.

PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram confirmed on Sunday that the party would file an appeal to quash what it termed an "egregious miscarriage of justice".

He hoped that the names of PTI supremo Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi would be cleared in the first hearing, deploring the judgment as "a blatant travesty of justice driven by political motivations and fabricated charges".

The decision to appeal followed a core committee meeting that reviewed the legal and political ramifications of the verdict amid ongoing negotiations with the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

The committee endorsed party chairman Barrister Gohar Khan's announcement that the talks with the PML-N-led coalition would continue until the set deadline for a government response to PTI's demands.

Akram called on the government to accept the "ground reality" and immediately release all political prisoners, including Imran and his wife.

He further urged the formation of powerful judicial commissions led by senior Supreme Court judges to investigate the incidents of May 9 and November 26 to expose the real perpetrators and ensure accountability.

The party's core committee observed that the government appeared to be escaping from the talks, but PTI would await its response.

Meanwhile, the party resolved to proceed with its appeal against the judgment.

The spokesperson expressed optimism that the court would order the immediate release of Imran and Bushra, terming the decision "a grave injustice and a mockery of Pakistan's justice system".

Akram pointed out "the growing frustration within the PML-N ranks" apparent from the relentless press conferences held by ministers and others, noting it seemed that they were cognizant of the fact that the case lacked merit and would surely be overturned in a higher court upon appeal.

He alleged that the people sitting at the helm of the affairs changed laws and brokered secretive deals to evade justice and escape accountability for massive corruption scandals in past.

In contrast, Akram said that Khan steadfastly refused to compromise his principles and decided to fight his over 200 cases in the courts. Akram said that the PTI founder would seek to clear his name through the judicial process, rather than resorting to underhanded deals because he believed in the supremacy of the constitution, rule of law and democracy.

PTI spokesperson said that the "ham-handed approach and arm-twisting tactics would ultimately fail," just as they had in the past. He asserted that the rulers' deep-seated fear of Imran was evident in their desperate attempts to keep him imprisoned "unlawfully".