On Tuesday, Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested on charges of corruption. Government officials accused Khan and his wife of receiving land as a bribe through a charitable trust, which both Khan and his aides have denied.
Here are some key facts about the trust and the land acquisition:
Al-Qadir Trust is a non-governmental welfare organization that was set up in 2018 by Khan’s third wife, Bushra Watto, and Khan himself when he was still in office.
During his time as prime minister, Khan promoted the trust at official events.
The couple is the sole trustee of the trust, according to Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar.
The trust runs a university outside Islamabad focused on spirituality and Islamic teachings, which was inspired by Khan’s wife.
Khan has publicly described his wife as his spiritual leader and has credited her with guiding him towards a spiritual path.
The corruption case against Khan centers around allegations that the trust was a front for Khan to receive valuable land as a bribe from a real estate developer, Malik Riaz Hussain, who is one of Pakistan’s wealthiest and most powerful businessmen.
According to Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, the trust owns nearly 60 acres of land worth 7 billion Pakistani rupees ($24.7 million) and another large piece of land in Islamabad near Khan’s hilltop residence.
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