An open-and-shut case or cooked in a politicised exercise, the staggering £190 million Al-Qadir case, long touted as the biggest thorn in the side of former prime minister Imran Khan, was finally concluded on Friday with a damning verdict in the field. The last news cycle was understandably overwhelmed by fervent debates between legal eagles, observers and politicians: some lamenting the perception of victimisation, others contemplating what cards the PTI would play next and the rest of the country left pondering about the whereabouts of a substantial amount that never managed to trickle down the food chain.
Of course, it did not help to see the media’s coverage veering into abstract, sidestepping something as plain as the identity of individuals at the heart of the case. However, buying their Shakespearian logic (‘What’s in a name?’), many a loophole still needs a tight tying-down.
It would be an understatement to say that the ruling has sent tremors through the political landscape, raising critical questions about the enforcement of law amongst the powerful and the implications for the democratic fabric. The audacity with which these leaders felt they could get away with grave allegations of misappropriating funds returned to Pakistan by the UK is a stark reminder of the troubling immunity often enjoyed by politicians in this region, who frequently exploit the religion card to shield themselves.
Even today, Mr Khan’s supporters are rallying around his “noble” initiative to provide education for low-income students or emphatically declaring that neither he nor Bushra Bibi lay claims to a single cent of the money in question, not worried about the gross miscarriage of justice – the clear-as-daylight quid pro quo allowing Malik Riaz to bizarrely use the same money he had paid as a penalty for acquisition of a property using ill-gotten wealth for his own benefit. Such a labyrinth of questionable practices cannot be dismissed as mere political rivalry; it reflects systemic issues that undermine governance. No party loyalty can make do for this undeniable murky cobweb that plagued Mr Khan’s administration. In the eyes of the law, principles must prevail over personalities and when accusations are so daunting, even the golden-haired, blue-eyed princes have to face the music. There’s no denying the due process and ergo, PTI is well expected to knock on the doors of higher courts. However, before bowing down to social media pressures, our judiciary would do well to remember that its credibility is in line here. Experts are right to question the remaining wheelers and dealers. At the end of the day, the fairness of the legal process depends on its uniform application to all. *