Al-Qadir University students concerned for their education as court hands control of institute to federal govt

The verdict in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case against former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his spouse, Bushra Bibi, was announced on Friday, sentencing them to up to 14 years in prison. The ruling has raised concerns among students at Al-Qadir University about whether they will be able to complete their degrees or if the university will be shut down following the verdict.

Accountability Court Judge Nasir Javed pronounced the verdict, which had been reserved on December 17, 2023, but was deferred three times. In the final decision, the court sentenced Imran Khan to 14 years in prison, while his wife, Bushra Bibi, was sentenced to seven years.

Both were found guilty in the corruption case after a year-long trial.

The court also imposed fines of Rs1 million on Imran Khan and Rs500,000 on Bushra Bibi and ordered the federal government to take control of Al-Qadir University.

In an interview with BBC Urdu, Shams-ul-Islam, a student from Quetta in his fifth semester at Al-Qadir University, expressed concerns about the impact of the ruling on his career and studies, saying, “I have come from Balochistan, and I want to ask the authorities what will happen to us if the university closes after the court's decision.”

“We have already spent over two years at the university, but this uncertainty is severely affecting our education,” said Mehreen Tabbassum, belonging to Gujjar Khan and studying in the fifth semester of management sciences at Qadir University. 

The students at Al-Qadir University urged the government to keep politics separate from the case, as they are deeply worried about their education. 

Some of these students said that social media posts about the Al Qadir Trustv ase have further increased their anxieties regarding their future.

However, the university was also facing a financial crisis, as it was not receiving funds due to the incomplete registration process of the Al-Qadir Trust.  

The UK-based broadcasting platform quoted Dr Amjad-ur-Rehman, Executive director of Al-Qadir University, saying that he still has the same funds that were collected during Imran Khan's tenure as Prime Minister.

However, the future of Al-Qadir University and its students now depends on the federal government’s decision on whether the university will continue to receive funding or be closed, as the court has handed the university’s custody to the government.