ISLAMABAD/RAWALPINDI/PESHAWAR:

Former prime minister and PTI founder chairman Imran Khan, who is now mired in deep legal trouble, has categorically rejected the idea of ​​taking a deal for his freedom after being convicted in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case.

Speaking to reporters inside the courtroom after his sentencing on Friday, the embattled leader struck a defiant stance and vowed to uphold his principles, no matter the cost.

“I will neither make any deal nor seek any relief. Those who stand against dictatorship will be punished,” Imran said as PTI leaders condemned the verdict outside Adiala jail where tensions were high after the long-awaited decision.

The PTI leaders declared the day a “black day” for the country and condemned the verdict as a continuation of the government’s ongoing “political victimization” of the former ruling party.

Meanwhile, a post on Imran’s X account shared a message from the jailed leader urging supporters not to lose hope and calling the verdict a “joke”.

“I will never accept this dictatorship,” the post read. “I am prepared to remain in a prison cell as long as it takes in the fight against this tyranny. I will not compromise my principles or the fight for the true freedom of the nation. I will not make any deals and will face all the groundless cases against me.”

Imran accused the judiciary of being complicit in undermining his own credibility. “After the dismal verdict in the Al-Qadir Trust case, the judiciary has further eroded its credibility,” he said.

“Judges who support tyranny and act on directives are rewarded. The judges nominated to the Islamabad High Court have only one qualification: to issue orders against me.”

Imran claimed that the sentence was premeditated. “The outcome of the case was known to everyone in advance. Whether it was the delay in the verdict or the sentencing discussions, everything was leaked to the media beforehand,” he said, further claiming that “the same person who dictated the verdict. to the judge also leaked it to the media.”

He also questioned the futility of ongoing negotiations with the government, especially with no progress on PTI’s demands for judicial inquiries into key events, including the 9 May 2023 protests and the 26 November 2024 incidents.

“Dishonest individuals never allow neutral judges to intervene,” he argued. “The government is avoiding the demand for a judicial commission because it is dishonest.”

PTI leaders meeting

Outside the jail, the PTI leaders did not mince words to condemn the sentence. Barrister Gohar said: “The conduct of the court has been unjust. Khan sahib has not benefited a single rupee from this case. He is merely an administrator, not the owner of Al-Qadir University Project”.

He added: “It is disgraceful that a woman who is the administrator of a philanthropic project to raise children has been sentenced to seven years in prison.”

PTI leader Omar Ayub questioned the selective application of justice. “Why has Hassan Nawaz not been questioned about how he took money out of Pakistan to buy property in Hyde Park? We condemn this and we will challenge the verdict in higher courts,” he said.

Shibli Faraz lashed out at the legal system, stating, “While the thieves roam free, the innocent and honest are punished. In a country where neither the rule of law nor the supremacy of the constitution exists, looting is considered respectable.”

Faraz added: “The majority of Pakistanis are either languishing in prisons or struggling with the hardships of life, consumed by inflation. It is a black day which we strongly condemn.”

PTI lawyer Faisal Chaudhry called the decision “the political use of NAB.” He said: “There was no evidence of financial gain, proceeds of crime or financial corruption. This is a senseless decision in a senseless case.”

“Today is a black day. The rights of the public are being deprived. This is yet another attempt to politically target Imran Khan. Courts have failed to protect the rights of citizens or deliver justice in accordance with the law,” he lamented.

‘Justice murder’

Mahmood Khan Achakzai, the chairman of Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) and leader of the opposition alliance Tehreek-e-Tahafuz-e-Aaeen-e-Pakistan, expressed his strong condemnation of the decision, saying, “No matter how much we condemn today’s verdict, it is still smaller’.

“We completely reject this decision and will take it to all possible forums.”

He said that if Imran agreed to remain silent and not speak against the government, he would be released, but Achakzai said: “We do not want such freedom. We will win this battle with the power of the people”.

Majlis-e-Wahdat-ul-Muslimeen chief Allama Raja Nasir Abbas also criticized the verdict, saying Pakistan was facing a crisis where rulers were playing “the worst games”.

He called the verdict “a miscarriage of justice” and argued that those who make decisions against the law should not remain judges. “The people of Pakistan reject this decision,” he added, declaring that “the oppressors will ultimately face defeat.”

Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza also condemned the verdict, saying the ruling party’s allies knew about the decision in advance.

“The judge who handed down this sentence is now branded with a stain,” he said. “The PTI founding chairman said that whatever they do, it will only bring shame. His only mistake is not to bow down. He will emerge victorious and be released from jail.”

Expressing his solidarity with Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi, PTI’s MNA Zartaj Gul said, “No matter how much they try to break PTI’s founding chairman, they can neither intimidate nor bend him. Bushra Bibi is dragged into every case.”

“We stand with Imran Khan and we will seek justice in every court. He will come out of Adiala Jail through the front door without any deal. We will never leave him and Imran Khan will never leave Pakistan,” the PTI leader vowed .