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ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) will take up the Al-Qadir Trust case involving former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife on June 5, marking the first hearing since the couple was sentenced over four months ago, the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party said Thursday.

A Pakistani court sentenced Khan to 14 years and his wife, Bushra Bibi, to seven years in prison last January. The centers on allegations that they received land as a bribe from real estate tycoon Malik Riaz Hussain through their charitable foundation, the Al-Qadir Trust.

The trust, founded in 2018 while Khan was still in office, is accused by authorities of being used as a front for illegal benefits.

The PTI has long maintained the case lacks merit and repeatedly requested the high court to hear their petition to suspend the convictions. This is the first time the IHC has scheduled proceedings since the lower court verdict in January, which was delayed at least three times before being delivered.

“Al-Qadir Trust case is scheduled for hearing on June 5,” the PTI said in a statement during the day.

The hearing will be conducted by a two-member IHC bench led by acting Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif, according to the court’s cause list.

PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan, speaking to reporters outside the Supreme Court earlier this week, said the party had met with the chief justice to press for the case to be listed.

“Release [of Khan and his wife] will take place once the case is heard,” Gohar told reporters. “We still hope the case will be heard on June 5.”

The Al-Qadir case stems from £190 million that the UK repatriated to Pakistan in 2019 after the Pakistani real estate tycoon settled a British investigation into suspected criminal assets.

Authorities allege that instead of depositing the funds in Pakistan’s national treasury, Khan’s government used the money to help Hussain pay court-imposed fines in a separate case related to land acquired illegally in Karachi at below-market rates.

Khan, who has been in jail since August 2023 and is facing a slew of legal cases, says all charges against him are politically motivated.

He accuses Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the country’s powerful military of orchestrating the crackdown to sideline him, a claim both Sharif and military officials deny.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Climate Change Minister Dr. Musadik Malik on Thursday met with a high-level Asian Development Bank (ADB) delegation to explore potential collaboration on carbon markets as part of the country’s evolving climate strategy, said in an official statement.

The visiting team was led by Toru Kubo, ADB’s Senior Director for Climate Change and Sustainable Development. The discussions focused on leveraging carbon markets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and attract new streams of climate finance for sustainable development.

Carbon markets are trading systems that allow countries, companies or organizations to buy and sell carbon credits or permits representing the right to emit a specific amount of carbon dioxide. These markets create financial incentives for reducing emissions and investing in greener alternatives.

“Both sides agreed to formulate a comprehensive, mutually aligned climate change strategy, with a specific focus on carbon credit mobilization, climate innovation and outcomes-based project implementation,” the climate change ministry said in a statement.

The two sides also explored ways for Pakistan to strategically align its carbon finance agenda with the Sustainable Development Goals, aiming to turn climate action into a driver of economic growth, it added.

On the occasion, Malik assured the ADB of full support in the strategy formulation, emphasizing that it should remain “impact-driven, transparent and results-oriented.”

Kubo highlighted ADB’s support for developing member countries, including Pakistan, by enhancing their carbon finance capabilities through mobilizing investments in low-carbon technologies, enabling them to access and benefit from global carbon markets.

The ministry said the meeting showed that climate action is now seen as a way to boost the economy, not just an environmental measure, with more countries paying attention to carbon markets.

Pakistan unveiled the country’s first National Carbon Market Policy in November 2024, saying that the government wanted to attract investments in green initiatives and transition toward a low-carbon economy.

According to the Global Climate Risk Index, Pakistan is ranked as the fifth most vulnerable country to climate change.

In 2022, devastating floods claimed about 1,700 lives and affected more than 33 million people, causing economic losses exceeding $30 billion.

Although international donors pledged over $9 billion to support Pakistan’s flood recovery, officials report that only a small portion of the promised funds were received by the country.