- Maryam claims that “theft was proven in the Al-Qadir Trust case.”
- Claims that Imran Khan, first (former) Prime Minister, was convicted of corruption.
- “The country needs unity and peace, not hatred and chaos.”
After the conviction of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and former first lady Bushra Bibi in the ₹190 million Al-Qadir University Trust case, Punjab Chief Minister , Maryam Nawaz, said on Friday that the university “is now under my control” and the scholarships would also be given. given to his students.
“The (accountability) court has handed over control of the university to the government following the verdict in the ₹190 million case,” CM Maryam said at a Honhaar Scholarship Program event at the Okara University today.
An accountability court awarded a 14-year jail term to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Khan and a seven-year term to his wife, besides imposing heavy fines on them earlier today .
According to the verdict, the former prime minister was convicted of “corrupt practices” and “abuse of authority,” while the first lady was convicted of “involvement in illegal activities.”
The judge ordered authorities to hand over custody of the Al-Qadir University Trust to the federal government led by CM Maryam’s uncle, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
The Al-Qadir Trust case, commonly known as the £190 million case, involved allegations that Khan and other defendants adjusted in 2019 50 billion rupees – amounting to 190 million pounds sterling at the time – sent by the British National Crime Agency (NCA) to the Pakistani government during his tenure as the country’s Prime Minister.
She said that “theft was proven in the Al-Qadir Trust case whose verdict was delivered today. “Imran Khan is the first (former) Prime Minister who was caught red-handed while was committing corruption,” CM Maryam added.
The chief minister said she had seen a video of some students who had invited her to visit them. “The students will receive religious and conventional education at the university and I will also award them scholarships and laptops,” she added.
“I want to give our children scholarships, not Molotov cocktails. The children who were given Molotov cocktails are now in prison. They have been encouraged to attack the police and blindly believe everything they watch on the social networks.”
The chief minister was referring to the PTI protesters who were sentenced to jail terms and punishment following the violent protests on May 9, 2023 and November 26 last year.
The top leader of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) said the country needed unity and peace, not hatred and chaos.
She asked students to become the force for progress in the province. “Your energy is what I need as you all are my main strength. To bring development to this province, I am counting on your dedication,” CM Maryam added.