Denies having any info about Al-Qadir Trust case
RAWALPINDI
Sheikh Rashid – the chief of his own faction of Muslim League – said on Tuesday the law that came into effect a day earlier could result in minus Imran Khan and plus Nawaz Sharif formula.
In a series of tweets, Sheikh Rashid said he was submitting a reply to the NAB notice received last night. He said he wasn’t present at the time the Al-Qadir Trust agenda was tabled [before the then federal cabinet] because he never had any [proper] interaction with Shahzad Akbar – the accountability czar in the Imran government.
The former interior minister said the entire nation condemned the May 9 episode but the ruling alliance comprising 13 parties should not make that a political narrative.
He said the Supreme Court of Pakistan was of a stance that no legislation could be made to benefit some specific persons and one would have to see what the apex would do on June 1 – the day its resumes the hearing of the matter concerning the Punjab Assembly elections.
“Mr Sharif should return so that the daily argument over the issue comes to an end,” the Awami Muslim League (AML) chief remarked but added that the former premier had missed the train.
He was of the opinion that there would be no need to explain the state of affairs to the masses when the dollar was available for Rs312 and 1.8 million flour bags had gone missing.
The 70 million youth with mobile phones had the wisdom to make their own decisions and they could not be fooled, the AML chief remarked. Later in the day, Mr Rashid posted another tweet in which he shared a copy of his reply to the NAB notice, asking him to appear as a witness the in Al-Qadir Trust case.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Rashid has said that neither he has any proof nor any document pertaining to the Al-Qadir Trust case, involving former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan.
In his reply submitted to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday, he said he was not present at the cabinet meeting at which Al-Qadir Trust came under discussion. “At that time, I was not on speaking terms with Mirza Shahzad Akbar, advisor to the then prime minister Imran Khan, as well,” he added.
Imran Khan was arrested by Pakistan Rangers in Islamabad from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) premises on May 9, 2023 in connection with Al-Qadir Trust Case.
There are charges that Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi, and close aides Zulfiqar Bukhari and Babar Awan embezzled billions of rupees from a real estate firm Bahria Town for legalising a laundered amount of Rs50 billion that was identified and returned to the country by the UK during the term of the PTI government.
Pakistan authorities maintained that Imran Khan was arrested by officials of the National Accountability Bureau specifically in the Al-Qadir Trust case, adding that there were “dozens” of other cases with corruption inquiries in progress against the former PM.
Imran and the others had allegedly adjusted Rs50 billion sent by Britain’s National Crime Agency to the government. They are also accused of getting undue benefit in the form of over 458 kanals of land at Mouza Bakrala, Sohawa for building Al Qadir University.
