A court in Pakistan for the third time has delayed announcing the verdict in the controversial £190 million Al Qadir Trust case involving former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi. The new date for the verdict is now January 17.
The verdict, initially set to be announced on December 23, 2024, was first deferred until January 6, 2025, before being moved to this latest date. This is the second postponement; the case previously continued getting postponed as Judge Nasir Javed went for judicial training on the two earlier dates.
At 8:30 AM, Judge Javed arrived prepared to go ahead with or without the accused. However, after inquiring about the accused, he was surprised to know that Imran Khan refused to appear before the court session without the presence of his legal team and family members. Even though the judge made all possible facilitation for their presence by sending messages at 10 AM, there was no sign of Khan or his lawyers.
By 10:30 AM, a visibly angry Judge Javed let out his frustration regarding the absence of the defendants and their counsel. He said, “Everything was set today; I have the verdict ready and signed.” He then postponed the pronouncement to January 17, 2025, thereby prolonging the uncertainty over the high-profile case.
The judge left the premises at 10:39 AM, and thereafter Bushra Bibi reached Adiala Jail at 10:50 AM. She was then informed of the new verdict date, an illustration of the sequential delays in the much important trial.
