Who is Imran Khan, and what is the corruption case against him?
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Former Pakistani PM Imran Khan was removed from office in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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ISLAMABAD – Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan was arrested on Tuesday on corruption charges.
Khan and his aides have denied any wrongdoing.
Below is some background about the former premier and what is known about the land acquisition.
What is his background?
Born to an affluent family in Lahore and educated at Oxford University, Khan, 70, first rose to international prominence in the late 1970s on the cricket pitch. In 1995, he married a British heiress, Ms Jemima Goldsmith.
In 1996, Khan tried to parlay his popularity from cricket – he had led Pakistan in 1992 to its only World Cup triumph – into a political career, establishing his own party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or the Movement for Justice.
As a politician, he portrayed himself as a reformer offering an alternative to Pakistan’s entrenched political dynasties.
How did he rise to power?
For more than a decade, Khan struggled to make political inroads and was mocked for his ambitions.
By 2011, he began to gather political momentum, drawing hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis to his rallies. Many were energised by his populist, anti-corruption and anti-American message.
By then, Khan had embraced a pious form of Islam and sought to transform his personal image.
In 2018, Khan got married for a third time, to his spiritual adviser, Ms Bushra Watto, who is also commonly known as Bushra Bibi. (His marriage to Ms Goldsmith had ended in divorce, and he was briefly married in 2015 to a broadcast journalist, Ms Reham Khan.)
After winning the backing of military leaders, Khan became prime minister in 2018.
Many of his rivals accused the military of manipulating the election in his favour – an accusation Khan and the military have both denied.
He ushered in a new foreign policy, moving away from the United States and closer to Russia and China.
Why was he arrested?
Khan’s relatively stable tenure began to unwind in 2021, as dissatisfaction with his handling of the economy came to a head and a dispute with the military over its leadership appeared to cost him its support.
He was removed from office in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022.
Tensions further mounted in November 2022, when he was wounded during a political rally
Since being removed from office, Khan has faced a series of charges,
He has also openly challenged the government and military, accusing them of conspiring against him.
Khan was arrested on corruption charges on Tuesday connected to a case involving the transfer of land for Al-Qadir University, near Islamabad. Khan has been accused of granting favours to Mr Malik Riaz Hussain, a real estate tycoon, with the university getting land and donations in return.
What is Al-Qadir Trust
Al-Qadir Trust is a non-governmental welfare organisation set up by Ms Bushra Watto, Khan’s third wife, and Khan in 2018 when he was still in office.
While prime minister, Khan promoted the trust at official events.
The couple is sole trustee of the trust, according to Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar.
What does the Trust do?
The trust runs a university outside Islamabad devoted to spirituality and Islamic teachings.
It is a project inspired by Ms Watto has a reputation as a spiritual healer.
Khan has publicly described her as his spiritual leader and said she helped guide him towards a spiritual path.
What is the corruption case?
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah told a press conference on Tuesday that the trust was a front for Khan to receive valuable land as a bribe from Mr Hussain, who is one of Pakistan’s richest and most powerful businessmen.
The trust has nearly 24ha of land worth seven billion Pakistani rupees (S$33 million) and another large piece of land in Islamabad close to Khan’s hilltop home, the minister said.
The 24ha parcel is the official site of the university, but very little has been built there.
How was the bribe alleged to have worked?
The government said the scheme originated with £190 million (S$318 million) repatriated to Pakistan in 2019 by Britain after Mr Hussain forfeited cash and assets to settle a British probe into whether they were proceeds of crime.
Instead of putting it in Pakistan’s treasury, Khan’s government used the money to pay fines levied by a court against Mr Hussain for illegal acquisition of government lands at below-market value for development in Karachi.
The Interior Minister alleged Mr Hussain gave the land to Khan through the Al-Qadir Trust in exchange for that favour.
How has Khan responded to the allegations?
Khan’s aides have previously said that the land was donated to the trust for charitable purposes.
Aide Fawad Chaudhry said on Tuesday the charges were trumped up. The real estate developer has also denied any wrongdoing. REUTERS, NYTIMES
