Imran Khan assures Maryam, “I will not let Al-Qadir University fall into the hands of the Sharif family.”

RAWALPINDI: A day after being convicted in a £190 million case, detained Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan stated on Saturday that he would not allow Al-Qadir University to fall into the hands of the governing Sharif family, according to his counsel.

His words came a day after Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz said that the university “is now under my control” and that scholarships will be provided to its students.

On Friday, an accountability court in Rawalpindi sentenced the PTI founder and his spouse Bushra Bibi to 14 and seven years in prison in the high-profile £190 million corruption case. In its decision, the court also directed the federal government, led by CM Maryam’s uncle Shehbaz Sharif, to assume control of the Khan-founded university.

Faisal Chaudhry, Khan’s attorney, addressed a news conference outside the Adiala Jail today, conveying the detained former prime minister’s message: “We are ready to face all kinds of hardships for true freedom.”

According to Khan, “I will not bow down to any pressure.”

The lawyer praised the former first lady, claiming that she had faced challenges and suffering just because she supported Khan.

Khan’s attorney expressed disappointment with the accountability court ruling, claiming that the prosecution could not substantiate claims of money laundering against his client.

A day earlier, during a function for the “Honhaar Scholarship Programme” at the University of Okara, CM Maryam stated that “theft has been proven in the Al-Qadir Trust case”.

“Imran Khan is the first [former] prime minister who has been caught red-handed while committing corruption,” Maryam told reporters.

The chief minister stated that she viewed a video of young students who requested her to visit them. “Students will get religious and conventional education at the varsity and I will also award scholarships and laptops to them,” according to her.

“I want to provide scholarships to our youngsters, not petrol bombs. The children who were handed petrol bombs are now in jail. They were urged to assault cops and believe everything they saw on social media.”