RAWALPINDI: The verdict against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the £190 million case has been delayed for the third time and will now be announced on January 17.
Accountability court Judge Nasir Javed expressed dismay over the no-show of the accused, saying that he had been present at the court since 8:30am, leading to the postponement of the verdict.
Khan had previously claimed that the verdict — initially delayed on December 23, 2024, and again on January 6, 2025 — was postponed to “pressurise him”. However, he did not appear in court today.
“I have been sitting in the courtroom for two hours, but none of them have appeared today,” the judge told reporters present in the courtroom, adding: “Let’s give them another chance.”
The National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) prosecution team, the media, and the court staff were present in the court room, but none from the defence were in attendance.
While the sentence was scheduled to be handed down at 11am and the judge postponed the announcement before that, Geo News‘ reporter Shabbir Dar said that the parties involved generally reach ahead of time.
Today’s deferment in the £190m reference verdict — termed an “open-and-shut case” by Senator Faisal Vawda — comes amid the government’s hope for justice as expressed by Defence Minister Khawaja Asif.
Whereas, Vawda on the other hand, in his press conference a day earlier, said that the PTI founder “committed a crime and will face punishment” in the settlement case.
“When Khan was signing it, I warned him that it would lead to a NAB case […] Being popular doesn’t mean you’re above everything else,” he said.
Postponement not part of any deal
Reacting to the deferment while speaking to the media outside Adiala jail, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan ruled out the verdict’s postponement as part of any deal.
“We were all waiting today at the court as the court staff had informed us that the verdict would be announced today at 11am,” he said.
Terming the case as a politically motivated one Gohar remarked: “The Al-Qadir Trust case is politically motivated and part of an unfair process whose aim is to compromise Khan sahib, his wife was also dragged into this case to pressure Khan”.
“He [Khan] has neither harmed the national exchequer nor had he benefited from the university. He is only a trustee. This is a baseless case,” noted the PTI chairman, adding: “Khan sahib will not bow down, he will stand firm. He will keep fighting for the people, judiciary, and the Constitution”.
