Politics
President Trump pardons American-Pakistani Imaad Zuberi
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has added Gobble and Waddle, two Thanksgiving turkeys, to his list of second-term pardons.
However, during his first year in this term, he has given clemency to 83 criminals. Among them is an American-Pakistani, Imaad Shah Zuberi, who appears on the list twice.
First, he was pardoned on May 28, 2025. According to the US Department of Justice, on February 18, 2021, Zuberi was sentenced to 144 months’ imprisonment, three years’ supervised release, a $1,750,000 fine, and $15,705,080.11 in restitution.
Zuberi’s offences were described as “violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act; tax evasion; foreign, conduit, and other illegal campaign contributions; and tampering with a witness, victim, or informant (obstruction of justice)”.
On October 1, 2025, Zuberi’s commutation was amended. Since then, Zuberi has been on the move and is planning overseas trips, claimed a trusted source in Washington, DC.
The Office of the Pardon Attorney has not provided a reason for President Trump’s decision to pardon Zuberi. However, another source claimed: “Zuberi is back, and he has high aims for his future.”
Who Is Zuberi?
Back on September 16, 2023, under the title “Who trapped disgraced US diplomat Richard Olson”, Geo News published an exclusive story about the role of Zuberi.
Zuberi’s family hails from Karachi. He positioned himself as a venture capitalist and power broker in Los Angeles, funding high-profile US politicians. He was considered a Democrat and was known to comfortably rub shoulders with top political leaders, including the Clintons, Obama, and Joe Biden, to name a few.
Before being sentenced, Zuberi contacted numerous foreign diplomats, offering to lobby for them while making high-level political contacts in many countries, including his native Pakistan. Showcasing his dazzling array of US political connections, he solicited business deals and access to powerful foreign officials.
In 2016, the fast-moving, glib-talking Zuberi — already on the radar for alleged criminal activity against a foreign consulate in Los Angeles — drew the focused attention of the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation when he abruptly ditched Hillary Clinton, for whom he had raised millions over the years, and crossed the aisle to support Republican Donald Trump with a $900,000 donation.
Credible sources confirmed that Zuberi was at the headquarters of then-Democratic presidential candidate Clinton, awaiting victory celebrations.
However, as surveys proved wrong and results showed Trump winning the presidency, Zuberi called a close associate of the Republican candidate and committed a huge sum of money. To the utter surprise of his Democrat colleagues, he immediately defected to Trump’s camp.
In June 2020, he pleaded guilty in a federal investigation to making a $900,000 donation through his shell company to the Trump presidential inaugural committee. It was revealed that some of the funds Zuberi donated had come from other people, including foreign sources and fake as well as concealed donors.
Before being imprisoned for 12 years, the high-flying Zuberi worked with a number of foreign entities, including the Qatari government, soliciting huge fees while claiming he could use his political contacts to lobby on their behalf.
Zuberi became close to Richard Olson, who at the time was considered close to then-President Barack Obama and was appointed US Ambassador to Pakistan (2012–2015) and US Ambassador to the UAE (2008–2011).
In 2016, after retiring from government service, Olson created an entity called Medicine Bear International Consulting LLC.
Olson was later criminally charged for his alleged role in an undisclosed lobbying campaign for the Qatari government while serving as a foreign service officer. He was also accused of failing to disclose a trip to London undertaken with, and paid for by, Zuberi. Olson pleaded guilty on June 3, 2022.
In court papers, Zuberi’s name was not revealed. However, it was stated that a naturalised US citizen born in Pakistan met Olson in Islamabad. This meeting took place in March 2013, when Olson was serving as ambassador.
From March 2013 through November 2016, this Pakistani American solicited Olson’s advice and assistance in his capacity as ambassador with respect to a variety of business matters. He also used Olson to complain against a Pakistani diplomat Zuberi was attempting to remove in Los Angeles in 2015.
The Pakistani diplomat formally complained to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the State Department that Zuberi was undermining his office and running a smear campaign after the diplomat refused to help Zuberi raise funds through the prosperous Pakistani-American community for Hillary Clinton.
Zuberi also attempted to bribe consulate staff to obtain information.
Towards the end of 2016, after Olson retired from government service, the Pakistani American agreed to retain Olson’s services for $20,000 per month, plus expenses. On or about December 2016, Zuberi sent Olson his first monthly cheque payable to “Medicine Bear” in the amount of $20,000.
Olson’s actions violated the “revolving door” prohibitions, which bar senior government officials from representing foreign entities during a one-year “cooling-off period” after retirement.
According to court papers, in January 2015, Olson—while still serving as US Ambassador to Pakistan—met the Pakistani American in Los Angeles and discussed the possibility of Olson working for Zuberi’s business associate, “Businessman 2”, a citizen of Bahrain.
A few days later, Olson agreed to meet Zuberi and Businessman 2 in London on January 31. Zuberi arranged first-class airfare from New Mexico to London, as well as a luxury hotel stay.
Within two months, Businessman 2’s company offered Olson a one-year contract after his retirement, including compensation of $300,000 per year. Despite being fully aware of the “revolving door” prohibitions, Olson illegally began working for Zuberi and his company in December 2016.
Zuberi also worked with the Qatari government, where Olson provided advice to facilitate lobbying US officials to establish US Customs preclearance facilities at Doha Airport. In an email to Zuberi, Olson advised that it would be important to secure the support of the US Ambassador to Qatar, writing: “I know her well but can’t do it… but (you) can charm her, she’s from LA.”
Zuberi sought Olson’s help again in June 2017, when the US Congress identified Qatar as providing financial aid to Hamas. In the following days, Olson, Zuberi, two other individuals, and a Qatari government official travelled to Doha.
They visited the royal palace to meet senior Qatari officials, though Zuberi was not permitted to attend the meetings. Upon returning to Washington, Zuberi and Olson met several US lawmakers to support Qatar.
Zuberi operated through a one-man shell company, Avenue Ventures LLC, falsely portraying it as a large venture capital firm. In reality, the company had one part-time employee, while his Chinese wife posed as his secretary.
He solicited foreign nationals and representatives of foreign governments, claiming he could use his political contacts in Washington, DC, to influence US foreign policy and create business opportunities.
Zuberi also worked with the government of Bahrain, attempting to lift sanctions on an indicted Bahraini citizen to allow him to develop a resort in the country. The scheme falsely created the impression that Avenue Ventures had made a major US investment in the project.
Citing this alleged investment, Zuberi lobbied members of Congress to apply political pressure on Bahrain to cease interference in the project, claiming it was adversely affecting him as a US investor. At Zuberi’s urging, at least a dozen congressmen sent letters to the Bahraini government requesting it stop interfering.
Zuberi undertook these efforts after charging a fee that violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). Separately, he failed to report millions of dollars on his 2014 tax return that he had taken from the Sri Lankan government, claiming he could lobby on human rights issues.
Two American officials not authorised to speak on the record confirmed to Geo News that Zuberi, a Pakistani-American with an Indian mother, was behind those illegal payments.
- White House sees war powers clock as halted.
- No US-Iran fire reported since early April ceasefire.
- Democrats dispute truce effect on legal deadline.
WASHINGTON: A US-Iran ceasefire that began in early April has “terminated” hostilities between the two sides for the purposes of an approaching congressional war powers deadline, a senior official of President Donald Trump’s administration said on Thursday.
Trump faced a deadline on Friday to end the Iran war or make the case to Congress for extending it, but the date was most likely to pass without altering the course of the war.
“For War Powers Resolution purposes, the hostilities that began on Saturday, February 28, have terminated,” said the official, describing the administration’s thinking.
There has been no exchange of fire between the US armed forces and Iran since a fragile ceasefire began more than three weeks ago, the official added.
Earlier, analysts and congressional aides had said they expected Trump to notify Congress that he planned a 30-day extension or to disregard the deadline, with the administration arguing the ceasefire marked an end to the conflict.
The 1973 law allows the president 60 days to wage military action before ending it, seeking authorisation from Congress or asking for a 30-day extension on grounds of “unavoidable military necessity” for the safety of the armed forces.
The Iran war began with airstrikes launched by Israel and the United States on February 28. Trump formally notified Congress of the conflict 48 hours later, triggering a 60-day deadline of May 1.
Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told a Senate hearing on Thursday he understood that the 60-day clock stopped during the truce. Opposition Democrats disputed that, saying there was no such legal provision.
The US Constitution says only Congress, not the president, can declare war, but the curb does not apply for operations the administration casts as short-term or countering an immediate threat.
Trump’s Republican Party holds a narrow majority in both chambers of Congress. Democrats have tried since the war began to pass resolutions to force Trump to withdraw US forces or obtain congressional authorisation.
Republicans have voted them down.
Iran responded to the February 28 attacks by the US and Israel with its own strikes on Israel and Gulf states that host American bases. US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed thousands and displaced millions.
SYDNEY: An angry crowd clashed with Australian police outside a hospital treating the suspected killer of a five-year-old Indigenous girl in the outback town of Alice Springs.
Images on local media Friday showed teargas in the air, a police van in flames, and crowds yelling at armed officers keeping people at bay during the overnight confrontation.
The violence followed the discovery Thursday of a body south of Alice Springs believed to be that of the little girl, referred to at her family’s request as Kumanjayi Little Baby.
She had disappeared from an Indigenous community camp called Old Timers late on Saturday night, sparking a vast, days-long search on foot, horseback, and by helicopter that gripped much of the country.
Police said a formal autopsy would be held on the child’s body, which was found about five kilometres (three miles) from the camp.
Hours after her body was found, police announced they had arrested the suspect, Jefferson Lewis.
‘He was unconscious’
Lewis was beaten until he was unconscious after turning himself in to Indigenous community members on Thursday evening at a camp by Alice Springs, in central Australia.
When police and emergency services intervened, they too came under attack, said Northern Territory Police Force Commissioner Martin Dole.
“At the time of his apprehension by us, he was unconscious and he was in the process of being treated by St John’s Ambulance when they were set upon, as were the police,” he told a news conference.
Lewis was then taken to hospital.
“A large crowd gathered and tried to gain access to that hospital,” the police commissioner said.
“We called out all the resources we had available to quell that violent disturbance. And just let me say that the behaviour that we saw last night cannot be explained away, excused or accepted.”
Dole said “a number” of police were injured at the hospital, and one officer was treated for a head wound inflicted during the suspect´s arrest.
Ambulance and fire crew members were also attacked, he said, with one fire and rescue officer receiving a “significant facial injury”.
‘Sorry business’
One woman was being investigated for allegedly trying to set a police car alight.
Many people outside the hospital shouted that Lewis must face “payback”, public broadcaster ABC reported, referring to a traditional punishment in central Australian Indigenous communities.
“I just call for calm across the community,” Dole said.
Police said they removed Lewis for his safety from the hospital to the Northern Territory capital of Darwin, where he was being held in custody.
He is expected to face charges in the coming days.
Northern Territory Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said the girl’s death was the realisation of “our worst nightmares”.
But it was no excuse for violence, she said, recalling how the community had united to search for the missing child.
“This week, we’ve seen this town come together like never before — hundreds of people walking shoulder to shoulder through the long buffel grass, through the bush, to make sure we left no stone unturned,” Finocchiaro said.
“I don’t want last night to take away from that extraordinary effort.”
Robin Granites, a spokesman for the family and an elder of the Warlpiri Indigenous group, called for calm in the community.
“It is time now for sorry business, to show respect for our family and have space for grieving and remembering,” he said in a statement.
“We need to be strong for each other, we must respect family and cultural practice.”
Some 287 candidates will be considered for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, the secretary of the Norwegian Nobel Committee said on Thursday, with US President Donald Trump likely to be among the nominees.
Of this year’s nominations, 208 are individuals and 79 are organisations, said Kristian Berg Harpviken, adding that there were many new nominees compared to last year.
“Since I am new in the job, one of the things that has to some extent surprised me is how much renewal there is from year to year on the list,” Harpviken said in an interview. He has held the position since January 2025.
Despite the number of conflicts rising worldwide and international cooperation under pressure, the award remains relevant, he added.
“The Peace Prize is even more important in a period like the one we’re living in,” he said. “There is as much good work, if not more, than ever.”
Trump likely nominated, but not confirmed
The leaders of Cambodia, Israel and Pakistan have said they nominated Trump for this year’s prize. Their nominations, if made, would have been done in spring and summer 2025, and they are therefore valid given the deadline was January 31.
There is no way of verifying they have done as they have said as nominations remain secret for 50 years and Harpviken declined to say on Thursday whether Trump had been nominated.
A nomination is not an endorsement by the award body.
In addition to committee members, thousands of people worldwide can propose names: members of governments and parliaments; current heads of state; university professors of history, social sciences, law and philosophy; and former Nobel Peace Prize laureates, among others.
Many names appear on betting sites giving odds on this year’s possible laureates, from Russia’s Yulia Navalnaya, the wife of the late Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, to Pope Leo and Sudan’s Emergency Response Rooms, a volunteer aid group, among others.
Concern for health of jailed Iranian laureate
Harpviken said the committee was deeply concerned about the health of the 2023 Peace Prize laureate, Iranian human rights activist Narges Mohammadi, which is worsening after she suffered a heart attack in prison.
Her supporters said on Wednesday her life was in imminent danger.
“Her sister was able to visit her in prison yesterday and the reports coming out after that are actually quite alarming as to her health condition,” said Harpviken.
“We see there is a lot of international pressure now. So we hope that the Iranian authorities do pay attention to that and release her so that she can have proper medical treatment.”
Who else could be nominated?
Among possible nominees for this year’s prize are Lisa Murkowski, the US senator for Alaska, and Aaja Chemnitz, a member of the Danish parliament elected from Greenland, according to the Norwegian lawmaker who nominated them both.
“Together they have worked relentlessly to build trust and to secure a peaceful development of the Arctic region over many years,” said the lawmaker, Lars Haltbrekken.
Greenland has been in particular focus this year due to Trump’s relentless push to acquire the island from Nato ally Denmark.
This year’s Nobel Peace Prize will be announced on October 9, while the ceremony will take place on December 10.
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