Acting Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Sardar Mohammad Sarfraz Dogar on Tuesday dismissed a request to register the Al-Qadir Trust under the Charity Act, stating that the petition had become irrelevant following the verdict in the £190 million corruption reference.
Accountability Court Judge Nasir Javed Rana had earlier sentenced former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, to 14 and seven years of imprisonment, respectively, in the graft case. The court also ordered the forfeiture of the “sham” Al-Qadir University Project Trust’s property to the government.
Other individuals implicated in the case—Bahria Town owner Malik Riaz Hussain, his son Ahmed Ali Riaz Malik, former accountability advisor Mirza Shahzad Akbar, ex-PM’s aide Zulfiqar Bukhari, Farhat Shahzadi, and Ziaul Mustafa Nasim—have already been declared proclaimed offenders. Arrest warrants and property confiscation orders have been issued against them.
The petition to register the trust, filed by Imran Khan, had been pending since October 2023.
Court’s Observations
Justice Dogar clarified that the court could not issue directives for the trust’s registration in light of the accountability court’s decision. He noted that sentences had already been handed down in the case, with the trust’s assets confiscated and placed under the custody of the Punjab government.
The court observed that, since the trust remains under confiscation, the petition lacks relevance unless the trial court’s verdict is overturned on appeal.
Lawyer’s Arguments and Adjournment
Al-Qadir Trust University’s counsel, Jahanzeb Sukhera, informed the bench that multiple applications related to the trust were still pending before the IHC. He sought additional time to consult with his client regarding the next steps.
In response, Justice Dogar questioned the admissibility of the application in light of the trial court’s ruling but granted the lawyer an adjournment. The court deferred the case for one month, allowing the petitioner’s lawyer to prepare further arguments.
