Former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, currently imprisoned following his conviction in the £190 million corruption case, has declared that he will not allow Al-Qadir University to fall under the control of the Sharif family. His lawyer, Faisal Chaudhry, conveyed this message on Saturday, asserting Khan’s resolve to resist any pressure.
“I will not bow down to any pressure,” Chaudhry quoted Khan as saying during a press conference outside Adiala Jail. The former premier’s remarks follow Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s announcement that the university is now under her administration.
The accountability court in Rawalpindi sentenced Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, to 14 and seven years in prison, respectively, on charges of corruption involving the Al-Qadir University Project Trust (AQUPT). The court also directed the federal government, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, to take control of the university established by Khan.
Chaudhry criticized the court’s verdict, arguing that the prosecution failed to substantiate money laundering allegations against his client. “We are ready to face all kinds of hardships for true freedom,” he added.
The controversy intensified after CM Maryam Nawaz, addressing an event at the University of Okara, claimed the Al-Qadir Trust case proved Khan’s involvement in corruption.
“Imran Khan is the first [former] prime minister caught red-handed committing corruption,” she stated, adding that students at Al-Qadir University would receive scholarships, laptops, and a blend of religious and conventional education under her administration.
Maryam also took a veiled jab at PTI supporters, saying, “I want to hand over scholarships to our children, not petrol bombs,” referring to the violent clashes between PTI workers and law enforcement earlier this year.
Al-Qadir University, once a cornerstone of Khan’s vision for educational reform, has now become a symbol of the fierce political rivalry between the PTI and the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
While Khan’s supporters decry the court’s decision as politically motivated, the Sharif family frames it as a necessary step toward accountability and justice.
As the legal and political tussle over Al-Qadir University unfolds, it reflects the broader power struggle shaping Pakistan’s political landscape.