Politics

Court orders Imran Khan to appear before investigation officer in prohibited funding case

Published

1 year ago

Farwa

Banking court judge reserves verdict on Khan’s plea for extension in pre-arrest bail.
Turns down Khan’s request to be interrogated at his Zaman Park residence in Lahore.
Says investigation officer can hold interrogation wherever and however he wants.

A banking court in Islamabad on Thursday directed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan to ensure his presence before the investigation officer (IO) in the prohibited funding case being pursued against his party.

In the bail plea, the PTI chief’s lawyers had urged the court to stop the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) from arresting Khan in the case pertaining to financial irregularities in the party’s funding.

Today, the directive was issued as the court announced a reserved verdict on Khan’s plea for an extension in pre-arrest bail.

At the outset of the hearing, Special Prosecutor Rizwan Abbasi requested the court to reject the former premier’s plea, while the petitioner’s lawyer asked the court to give a two-week extension on medical grounds.

Khan’s lawyer also requested an exemption for the PTI chief to appear before the court for today’s hearing.

The prosecutor maintained that Khan has been politically active since the assassination bid on his life during PTI’s long march rally in Wazirabad in November.

“He is running the political affairs but doesn’t appear in the court,” Abbasi said while requesting the court to reject his plea for exemption.

He claimed that Khan neither appeared in the court nor joined the probe, asking the court to tell the investigation officer to visit the PTI chief at his Zaman Park residence in Lahore.

When asked about the reason for Khan’s absence from investigations, his lawyer said that there were many reasons he couldn’t appear before the investigation officer despite “his willingness”.

He said that Khan was injured in an assassination bid and he would appear before IO as soon as the doctors allow him.

At this, prosecutor Abbasi maintained that the investigation officer could not go to Lahore for interrogation.

“Imran Khan appears on TV but not in the courts,” Rizwan said while requesting the court to take back the decision of Khan’s interim bail.

Judge Rakhshanda Shaheen turned down the request by Khan’s lawyer to interrogate the former premier at his Zaman Park residence in Lahore.

“The investigation officer can hold investigations wherever and however he wants, the court will not interfere,” the judge remarked.

Meanwhile, the judge asked Khan’s lawyer to assist the court with why shouldn’t it withdraw the interim bail.

She directed Khan to join the probe to ensure his presence before the IO under any circumstances and adjourned the hearing till January 31.

FIA kickstarts investigation in prohibited funding case

FIA kickstarted its countrywide investigation into the utilisation of funds from “prohibited” sources by PTI after an Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ruling that the party secured illegal donations, in August 2022.

On August 2, 2022, the ECP in a unanimous verdict said it had found that the PTI received prohibited funding.

The commission found that donations were taken from America, Australia, Canada and the UAE.

The case — earlier referred to as a “foreign funding” case — was filed in November 2014 when the party’s founding member Akbar S Babar alleged gross financial irregularities in the party’s funding from both Pakistan and abroad.

Latest News

Nawaz Sharif departs for a five-day personal visit to China.

Published

21 hours ago

Farwa

Nawaz Sharif, the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and a former prime minister, departed for China on Monday night for a five-day private visit.

Nawaz Sharif is visiting China, escorted by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar.

Nawaz Sharif reportedly planned to see Chinese company owners as well as discuss the Punjab province’s development projects. During his visit in China, he will also have a medical examination.

In addition, the fact that Nawaz and his party chose China for his first overseas trip after he returned to Pakistan in October of last year shows how much weight the Asian superpower holds.

Eight other Chinese companies were reportedly prepared to start working right away, while 16 Chinese companies had expressed interest in the Nawaz Sharif IT City, which is the brainchild of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, who has plans for similar projects in all of the province’s major cities.

Remarkably, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s scheduled visit to China ahead of his anticipated talks with Chinese authorities next month coincides with the elder Sharif’s visit.

Dar’s presence alongside Nawaz simultaneously underscores the party leadership’s confidence in him and serves as a reminder of why he was chosen to be foreign minister.

The fact that this visit was organized in the wake of the recent terror assault in Shangla on Chinese engineers involved in the Dasu hydroelectric Project, however, may provide some insight into the significance of this visit.

That was followed by Pakistan’s resolute pledge to deal harshly with those groups that have been attacking Chinese citizens in an effort to undermine the cordial relations between the two countries.

Latest News

The creation of a provincial enforcement authority is approved by the PunjabCM.

Published

21 hours ago

Farwa

The creation of a provincial enforcement authority in Punjab has received clearance from Maryam Nawaz Sharif, the chief minister of Punjab.

District and tehsil-level provincial enforcement authority was presented to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz during a meeting that she convened.

Maryam gave her approval for the authority to be established and gave the order to begin the legislative procedure right now.

In every district and tehsil in Punjab, she stated, enforcement authorities will be constituted. According to her, a director-general will be appointed in addition to the chief secretary leading the provincial enforcement authority.

The deputy commissioner will lead the district enforcement authority, while the assistant commissioner will lead the tehsil enforcement authority.

Tasks specific to encroachments on government lands will be carried out by enforcement agencies. Additionally, the authority will have the ability to investigate and prosecute cases of overpricing, hoarding, and encroachment on government territory.

The tehsil enforcement unit will oversee the establishment of a police station and special force at the tehsil level. To be appointed in the tehsil enforcement authority are a unit in command, investigation officers, enforcement officers, and constables.

In addition to carrying out legal duties, the tehsil enforcement unit will be able to file charges, conduct investigations, and make arrests. Additionally, for monitoring purposes, the offices of the district and provincial enforcement authorities will be set up.

In six months, the province’s enforcement agencies are to be activated, under Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s directive.

Latest News

PTI announces a public meeting in Karachi.

Published

21 hours ago

Farwa

Haleem Adil Sheikh said in a statement released here that the decision to reschedule the public event was made during the party’s political committee meeting. He said that instead of being conducted on April 28, the PTI’s public meeting would now take place on May 5 next to Quaid-e-Azam’s mausoleum.

According to the head of PTI Sindh, his party had asked the Deputy Commissioner East for permission to hold the meeting.

He claimed that the PTI filed a lawsuit in the Sindh High Court after the administration refused to grant them a certificate of non-objection. The hearing for their case is scheduled for April 26, according to Haleem Adil Sheikh.

The PTI Sindh head stated, “Hopefully, we will receive permission from the SHC to hold a Jalsa (public gathering) in Karachi.”

He said that the PTI’s popularity is the reason the Sindh administration is “afraid” and that’s why they haven’t received clearance from the provincial government.

In response to allegations of election tampering and mandate theft in the general elections, the PTI declared a nationwide protest.