Latest news with #Al-QadirTrust
Express Tribune
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
PTI activists protest outside SHC, brave police brutality
During the hearing for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Patron-in-Chief Imran Khan's bail plea in the Al-Qadir Trust case, PTI leaders and workers staged a protest outside the Sindh High Court (SHC) under the leadership of PTI Sindh President Haleem Adil Sheikh. The protesters demanded the release of Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi, and other PTI leaders in custody, along with their acquittal in the false cases filed against them. During the peaceful demonstration, a police contingent attempted to arrest Haleem Adil Sheikh and other leaders. However, PTI lawyers intervened, and escorted Sheikh and the others into the court premises. Haleem Adil Sheikh stated, "our protest was peaceful, yet the police resorted to brutality and violence, which we will challenge in court. A civilian dictatorship has been established in Sindh, and martial law has been imposed across the country." Sheikh further said that Imran Khan has remained falsely imprisoned for over 600 days, stating, "the 26th Constitutional Amendment has resulted in a massacre of justice, and the judiciary has been weakened." Regarding the Al-Qadir Trust case, Sheikh asserted that Imran Khan is not a beneficiary and has committed no corruption, and instead "the real corruption was committed by Asif Ali Zardari and others, who purchased flats in London using stolen money, with the Sharif family as the beneficiaries. Imran Khan, on the other hand, established Al-Qadir University for religious education."
Business Recorder
4 days ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
Al-Qadir Trust case: NAB forms spl legal team
ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Monday constituted a special legal team to pursue the £190 million National Crime Agency (NCA) scam — commonly known as the Al-Qadir Trust case — against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi. According to an official notification, NAB Prosecutor General Syed Ihtesham Qadir Shah formed the five-member prosecution team with the approval of the NAB chairman. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
10-03-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
£190 million NCA funds to support education
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's government has decided to use £190 million or Rs54 billion for building a public sector university and schools, which were originally given to Pakistan by the United Kingdom's National Crime Agency (NCA). This money became a key element in the conviction of former premier Imran Khan. The government has chosen to use these frozen funds for the noble cause of providing education in emerging technologies. The government of Imran Khan had earlier adjusted the Rs54 billion against private liabilities, a decision that led to his 14-year conviction in the high-profile Al-Qadir Trust case. The government sources told The Express Tribune that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has approved the use of the funds for education purposes, and the Supreme Court of Pakistan, which is the custodian of the funds, has also given its consent. According to the government's decision, the £190 million will be allocated for the construction of the Daanish University of Emerging Technologies in Islamabad, as well as Daanish schools in the country's poorest and most remote areas. The Daanish Schools Initiative was launched by Shehbaz Sharif in 2010 in Punjab to provide modern education and recreational facilities to children from under-privileged families. After the 18th Constitutional Amendment, education is a provincial subject but the federal government has decided to construct these Daanish schools in the backward areas. The eligibility criteria for admission to Daanish Schools require that either the student's parents are deceased or the family is among the poorest, as per the Benazir Income Support Card registry. Seats are equally distributed between boys and girls, provided they meet the admission criteria. The funds will be used for establishing the "state of the art research university with an endowment to [ensure] self-sustainability and the balance amount [will be allocated to build] a few Daanish Schools in the backward areas," said Ahsan Iqbal, Federal Minister for Planning while confirming the development. The prime minister has made Ahsan Iqbal head of a 10-member expert committee, which will finalise the lists of schools and programmes in emerging technologies. In 2019, the NCA of the United Kingdom reached a settlement deal worth £190 million. The £190 million or Rs54 billion had not gone back to the federal government at that time. Instead, the money had been transferred directly into the account of the Supreme Court. This year the accountability court convicted Imran Khan for 14 years and his wife Bushra Bibi for seven years in the Al-Qadir Trust case. Soon after the verdict, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar had said that the money recovered by the NCA would be used for the nation's welfare. The Supreme Court registrar was the head operator of the designated account, which is being changed to take control of these funds, said the government sources. The funds will not be spent through the Public Sector Development Programme. Instead a special purpose vehicle will be set up to make sure that these funds do not lapse at the end of the fiscal year and remain available for education purposes. The prime minister has also instructed to form an independent oversight committee to ensure transparency in the utilisation of these funds, said the sources. Shehbaz Sharif will head the 11-member steering committee. Its members are Minister for Planning, Minister for Economic Affairs, Minister for Law, Minister for Federal Education, Chairman Higher Education Commission, Secretary Information Technology, Secretary Finance, Secretary Education, Secretary Planning and Chairman of the Capital Development Authority. The oversight committee will give strategic guidelines and define the university's mission, vision and objectives. It will also supervise the infrastructure development including the land availability by the CDA and will approve the governance model. The PM-led committee will also oversee the legislation for the establishment of the university and monitor its construction within 18 months, said the sources. The Ahsan Iqbal-led expert committee comprises economists and educationists and will finalise the lists of schools and programmes in emerging technologies. The expert committee will provide the roadmap for academic programmes, shortlist the research priorities and ensure collaboration with international centres of excellence for exchange programmes. The sources said the university will operate as a Trust with operational independence. A 20-bed hospital will also be part of the Daanish University, according to the Prime Minister's decision. The planning ministry has also been instructed to ensure timely approvals of the PC-Is of the Daanish schools.
