ISLAMABAD: Malik Riaz, one of the wealthiest property tycoons of the country, said on Sunday that he had been “under immense pressure” for over a year but would not allow anyone to use him as a “pawn” for political motives.

The capital was rife with rumours that Riaz, who is the founder of Bahria Town, the largest privately held real estate development company of the country, is under immense pressure from the powers that be to testify against former prime minister Imran Khan in £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case.

However, taking to X, Riaz categorically said that “All my life, Allah has always guided me to stand by my principle of not taking any political sides or being used by one party against the other”.

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“This has been a recurring pattern of victimisation against me and my business for introducing state-of-the-art projects in Pakistan. From 1996 till today, I’ve been punished for contributing towards the progress of the country”.

In the same breath, he continued that “with the help of Allah, the Almighty, I have faced such pressures in the past with absolute grit and strength and even today, in a personal capacity, I can say with utmost certainty, ‘over my dead body’.”

He said that despite his ailing condition and distress, he stands firm in the face of this adversity, bearing financial business loss daily and being pushed to the wall completely, but he will not surrender to any pressure tactics.

“Allah will guide and help me through this tough phase with dignity,” he added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024