Al-Qadir Trust case: Tarar says govt committed to recover stolen money for public welfare

Calling the accountability court judgment in the high-profile £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case against incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan “one of the country's most significant legal verdicts,” Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Saturday said the government was committed to recover the stolen wealth for public welfare.

Addressing a joint press conference alongside religious scholars, Tarar criticised the former ruling party for resorting to religious sentiments after failing to present a legal defence in the £190 million corruption case, which he described as an "open-and-shut" matter with no ambiguities or legal loopholes.

The minister challenged the PTI to clarify whether the £190 million recovered by the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) was handed over to Pakistan and questioned if the money was returned to the same individual from whom it was confiscated.

He alleged that during PTI's tenure, Shahzad Akbar, then head of the Asset Recovery Unit, confirmed to the NCA in 2020 that the funds had been recovered and transferred to Pakistan.

However, Tarar claimed the funds were returned to the original offender following cabinet approval in a sealed envelope.

Terming it the largest robbery in the country's history, Tarar pointed out that PTI's founder and other accused were convicted in the case.

He questioned the source of wealth used by the PTI leader and his wife to purchase a luxury home worth Rs 250 million and a 200-kanal property in Lahore.

He also alleged that PTI leadership demanded five-carat diamond rings and misused public funds.

The minister stressed that the recovered money was meant for Pakistan's welfare, including education, health, and infrastructure projects, but was instead returned illegally to the offender.

Regarding the Al-Qadir Trust case, Tarar alleged that PTI gave the trust a religious facade while using it for personal gain.

He highlighted that constructing a mosque or religious institution with "stolen money "is impermissible.

He stated that the corruption and scandals of the former prime minister had made global headlines, yet the PTI "continues to exploit religion for political gain".

Tarar demanded that religion should not be used as a tool in politics, asserting that politics does not hold the sanctity that religion does.

He urged the Khan-founded party to refrain from using religion in politics for its vested interests.

— With additional input from APP