Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested on Tuesday on corruption charges.
Islamabad:
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested on Tuesday on corruption charges. Government officials allege that the former prime minister and his wife had received land as bribe through a charitable trust.
Khan and his associates have denied any wrongdoing.
Given below are some facts about the trust and land acquisition.
What is Al-Qadir Trust?
The Al-Qadir Trust is a non-governmental welfare organization established by Bushra Watto, Khan’s third wife, and Khan in 2018, when he was in office.
While prime minister, Khan promoted the trust at official events.
According to Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar, the couple is the sole trustee of the trust.
What does the trust do?
The trust runs a university outside Islamabad dedicated to spirituality and Islamic teachings, a project inspired by the former First Lady, also commonly known as Bushra Bibi and with a reputation as a spiritual healer.
Khan publicly described him as his spiritual leader and said that he helped guide him towards the spiritual path.
What is the issue of corruption?
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah told a news conference on Tuesday that the trust was a front for Khan to obtain valuable land as a bribe from Malik Riaz Hussain, a real estate developer who is among Pakistan’s richest and most powerful businessmen. There is one.
The minister said the trust has about 60 acres of land worth 7 billion Pakistani rupees ($24.7 million) and another large piece of land in Islamabad near Khan’s hilltop home.
The 60-acre parcel is the official site of the university but little has been built there.
How did the bribery charge work?
The government said the scheme began after Britain repatriated £190 million to Pakistan in 2019 after Hussain seized cash and assets to settle a British inquiry into whether they were the proceeds of crime .
Instead of funneling it into Pakistan’s coffers, Khan’s government used the money to pay a fine imposed by a court against Hussain for illegal acquisition of government land at below-market value for development in Karachi.
The interior minister alleged that Hussain gave Khan land through the Al-Qadir Trust in return for that favor.
How did Khan respond to the allegations?
Khan’s aides had earlier said that the land was donated to the trust for charitable purposes.
Aide Fawad Chaudhary said on Tuesday that the allegations were blown out of proportion. The real estate developer has also denied any wrongdoing.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)