ISLAMABAD: On Sunday, Malik Riaz, the chairman of Bahria Town, declared he would not kneel to anyone despite claiming he was under pressure for “political reasons.”
The real estate mogul claimed he had reached his breaking point and was always losing money in his company in a message posted on X, the previous Twitter.
However, he omitted to say for what reason or who he was being pressured.
The real estate mogul was once regarded as “untouchable” due to his connections to the media, political parties, and the military and civil institutions.
Dawn reached out to several political pundits and lawmakers, but almost none of them were willing to weigh in on his “tragic story,” claiming he had not revealed the identity of the person he was holding accountable for his problems or the reason he was under pressure.
Malik Riaz was most likely alluding to the Al Qadir Trust/University case, which the NAB brought against PTI founder Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi. The primary defendants in the £190 million corruption case were them. According to the prosecution, Imran Khan, the Prime Minister, and his spouse allegedly bought land from Bahria Town Ltd. spanning hundreds of kanals in order to legalize Rs. 50 billion, which the UK government later located and repatriated to the nation.
Five co-accused parties in the case, including Malik Riaz and his son Ahmed Ali Riaz, whose failure to participate in investigations resulted in their properties being froze by an accountability court on January 9.
The real estate mogul is reportedly out of the country right now.
“All my life, Allah has always guided me to stand by my principle of not taking any political side or being used by one party against the other,” Malik Riaz stated in his message on X. I’ve been facing tremendous pressure to give in for more than a year, but I refuse to be used as a political pawn by anyone.
He asserted that this was part of a pattern of victimization against him and his company since they brought cutting-edge projects to Pakistan.
I have been “punished” since 1996 for my contributions to the nation’s advancement. I have previously handled similar situations with unwavering fortitude and strength. I can say “over my dead body” with absolute certainty even now, in my own capacity,” he continued.
“I’m holding steady in the face of this adversity, facing daily financial business loss and being pushed to the brink, but I won’t give in to any pressure tactics, even if I’m in a terrible situation and in despair. He remarked, “Allah will lead and assist me through this difficult time with dignity.
Former president and PTI leader Arif Alvi responded to the tycoon’s statement by saying that the pressure cooker will “burst one of these days.”
And who is going to get hurt? Not those who have secured travel routes to other nations, but us devoted Pakistanis who have made the decision to remain in our nation until the end,” he remarked.
