Ahsan Iqbal accuses Imran Khan of ‘planning attack on state buildings’

NAROWAL: Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Ahsan Iqbal on Sunday accused Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan of ‘planning the attacks on state buildings’, saying that the former premier gave tasked to PTI workers to attack such structures, ARY News reported.

“Imran Khan had planned the attack on important government buildings a month ago and tasked the PTI workers to do so when he gets arrested,” Ahsan Iqbal said while addressing a press conference in Narowal.

Referring to Al-Qadir Trust case, the planning minister said that the PTI chairman had claimed that the cabinet had given the approval for the transaction in question.

However, Ahsan alleged, the then-cabinet secretary had informed the government that ex-accountability czar Shehzad Akbar had handed Imran a sealed envelope.

“You (Imran) waved around the envelope and that this important case had also been accepted. And when other ministers inquired about the case, you snubbed them and shut them up,” he said, adding that this was how Imran had gotten the ‘dirty deal’ with property tycoon approved by the cabinet.

Ahsan Iqbal further said that by “settling” the fine imposed on property tycoon, Imran Khan had obtained 650 kanals of land for the Al-Qadir University. “He [Khan] used to ask others for receipts but was unable to do the same when it was his turn,” he added.

He also said that Imran Khan caused great financial loss to the national exchequer. “Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif and other PML-N leaders faced trials bravely and proved their innocence,” he claimed.

Violent clashes broke out across Pakistan after former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief Imran Khan was arrested from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday.

The protests were held in remote and major cities as the party workers are agitated due to their chairman’s arrest, with Balochistan, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Islamabad summoning the armed forces to ensure law and order.

Army installations and Corps Commander’s house in Lahore came under attack during a protest of PTI workers.

Al-Qadir Trust inquiry

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had launched an investigation against Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi and others for the alleged gain of hundreds of canals of land in the name of Al Qadir University Trust, which reportedly caused a loss of 190 million pounds to the national exchequer.

As per the charges, the Khan and others accused allegedly adjusted Rs50 billion — 190 million pounds at the time — sent by Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to the government.

Former PM Imran Khan had registered Trust for Al-Qadir University Project on Dec 26, 2019.