IHC grants protective bail to Imran Khan in prohibited funding case

The Islamabad High Court on Wednesday granted protective bail to PTI Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan in the prohibited funding case, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

Approving the protective bail of Imran until October 18 (Tuesday) against the surety bonds worth Rs5,000, the court directed the PTI chief to obtain the interim bail from the relevant court.

While talking to media outside the court ahead of his hearing, when questioned by the journalists what happened if the court would reject his bail application, the PTI chief said resolutely that he would be jailed and ‘I am ready to go to jail’. 

Earlier, during the hearing of the case, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah summoned Imran directing him to appear before the court in order to obtain the bail. The judge also stopped the Federal Investigation Agency from arresting the PTI chief.

CJ Minallah inquired of Additional Attorney General Munawwar Iqbal Dogal if it was an FIA case, then why the special court was not hearing it. The AAG expressed his ignorance in this matter. 

The chief justice remarked: “We accept the protective bail plea of Imran Khan and keep the case sub judice in this court. If the special court hears the PTI chief’s petition then it will become ineffective in this court. But if the special court refuses to hear his petition, then the IHC will hear it.” 

Earlier, IHC Chief Justice Minallah heard the petition filed by former prime minister and PTI Chief Imran Khan seeking protective bail in order to avoid arrest in the prohibited funding case.

Imran’s lawyer told the court that two other co-accused in the case went to the banking court to seek their pre-arrest bails but both the banking and special judge central courts refused to hear their petitions. 

The lawyer said that Imran did not appear before the court because he could be arrested. 

CJ Minallah inquired of the counsel what was his idea to which court the petitioner should have gone in the prohibited funding case? 

The lawyer replied that his client should go to the court of special judge central in the case. 

The judge then ordered to summon the PTI chief before the court in 30 minutes.

The PTI chairman in his petition stated that the Federal Investigation Agency lodged a case against him under the Foreign Exchange Act. He pleaded with the court to accept his protective bail plea so that he could appear before the relevant court. 

Imran says ready to go to jail, dubs CEC prejudiced  

Meanwhile, ahead of the hearing of his petition, Imran told reporters that he was ready to go to jail if the court rejected his bail application today. “I have made my preparation for it,” he told the pressmen. 

A journalist asked him whether he knew that the PM House phones were bugged when he was the prime minister. He replied that surveillance happened everywhere. It is a national security issue and agencies are responsible to protect the prime minister, he said adding, however, he was against the targeted recording. 

On Swat situation, the PTI chief whose party is ruling there said that maintaining security in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was a federal issue. The KP government was intimating the federal government about the worsening situation, he added. 

On the ECP prohibited funding case, the former prime minister lamented that only the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s funding was legal. The funding of other parties is just a fraud, he added.

“It’s a pity that the chief election commissioner is not bringing to light the other political parties’ funding despite the order by the high court that the cases of fund raising of all the political parties should be heard together,” Imran maintained. 

The PTI chief lashed out at the chief election commissioner terming him prejudiced.

IHC registrar raises objections 

Earlier, IHC registrar Asad Khan raised three objections to Imran’s petition saying that the PTI chief did not do his biometric; he attached an unconfirmed copy of the FIR; and how could the petitioner submit his application to the high court before filing it in a special court.

FIA case 

The FIA on Tuesday registered a case against Imran Khan and other PTI leaders for allegedly submitting false affidavits to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in connection with a prohibited funding case.

The other prominent leaders booked in the case are: Sardar Azhar Tariq, Saifullah Nyazee, Syed Younis, Amir Kayani, Tariq Shaikh, and Tariq Shafi.   

According to the First Information Report lodged at the FIA's State Bank Circle police station in Islamabad, the PTI had opened an account in a private bank under the title of ‘Naya Pakistan”. The said accused are beneficiaries of the account.

Reporter Ehtisham Kiyani