Khawaja Asif raises questions over Al-Qadir university status

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif emphasised that Al-Qadir doesn’t qualify as a university as it never applied for a charter from the Higher Education Commission (HEC), ARY News reported on Friday.

Speaking in the ARY News program “Sawal Yeh Hai”, Khawaja Muhammad Asif said that the money received from the UK’s National Crime Agency actually belonged to Pakistani people.

He said that Al-Qadir is not a university but more like a low-level institute or computer college, as it never applied to HEC for the charter of a university, therefore it is wrong to call it a university.

The Defence Minister revealed that Al-Qadir is an affiliated college of the Government College University Lahore.

He questioned that Al-Qadir has a huge 400-acre land, but it only has about 200 students enrolled in four years, and it only teaches two subjects, including spirituality.

Meanwhile, addressing a press conference in Sialkot, Khawaja Asif said how a university can have so few students and still call itself a university. “Do universities have the same number of students in so many years,” he added.

He asked the media to visit Al-Qadir university and investigate further that how many classes are held there, how many degrees are awarded, what kind of education is provided there, how many people have graduated from there in four years.

Accountability Court in Rawalpindi awarded a 14-year jail term to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan in a £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case.

Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi has been jailed for seven years. Judge Nasir Javed Rana pronounced the verdict at Adiala Jail where accused Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were present

The court also imposed fines of Rs. 1 million and Rs. 500,000 on Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi respectively. Both individuals would have to face additional prison time if they fail to pay the fines.

Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi would have to face additional face six-month and three-month imprisonments in case of non-payment. Bushra Bibi was taken into custody from the courtroom in Rawalpindi.