Imran Khan challenges FIA summons in prohibited funding case

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) Chairperson Imran Khan has challenged the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) summons in the prohibited funding case in Lahore High Court, reported 24NewsHD TV channel. 

Justice Ali Zia Bajwa of Lahore High Court will hear the petition of PTI chief Imran Khan on November 7. 

Ministry of Internal Affairs, DG FIA, Deputy Director FIA, and Investigating Officer have been made parties in the petition. 

The petition said FIA sent the notice with the intent of political victimization on October 31.

It further pleaded that the FIA’s inquiry regarding PTI Punjab’s bank account is based on bad faith. The probe was initiated to harass the former prime minister,” it adds. 

It is pertinent that the former premier was supposed to appear in front of the FIA on November 7 as the FIA had summoned the PTI chief for investigation pertaining to the prohibited funding case. However, rather than appearing in front of the FIA, Imran Khan has moved to the Lahore High Court (LHC) and has filed a petition challenging his summoning.

The notice issued by the FIA said that although chairman PTI Imran Khan had expressed detachment from his party’s bank account in Lahore, his authority letter attached to the opening form of the said account raised questions.

PTI’s legal team has challenged the FIA summons to Imran and sought a clean chit in the case. 

The petition read that inquiry was aimed at benefitting the political rivals, and no one has ever objected to the PTI’s opening party bank accounts. 

 It further said the ECP neither asked Khan for an explanation nor did it demand any details about his bank accounts. “The ECP had only asked Khan to furnish a record of the transaction,” it adds. 

The petition asserted the funds from PTI Punjab’s account were spent on party office running costs, adding that raising funds was every political party’s constitutional right.

FIA was not directed to investigate the accounts in the Election Commission's decision on prohibited funding, it said. 

It is the constitutional right of every political party to raise funds under the Constitution, stand

The Home Ministry had indicated through a tweet on August 3 that it would consider putting the name in the ECL. The deputy director of FIA and the investigating officer started an inquiry beyond the home ministry and started sending summons notices, the statement said.

The Political Parties Order 2002 contains the entire procedure for the trial of prohibited funding, the petitioner said. 

It further stated that FIA has no power to conduct an inquiry against political party funding and the FIA's inquiry into the alleged prohibited funding should be quashed as illegal. 

It is also prayed that the FIA ​​should be restrained from conducting the inquiry till the final decision on the application.