ISLAMABAD: A banking court in Islamabad has asked former prime minister Imran Khan to appear before the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in connection with the probe in the prohibited funding case against his Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party.
In August last, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) declared the opposition party accepted millions of dollars from what it ruled were prohibited sources.
The top electoral agency said the party received funds from 34 foreign nationals — including Arif Naqvi, a billionaire financier and former boss of now-defunct Abraaj private equity firm — and some 351 businesses many of whom were based in Australia, Canada, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Cayman Islands.
It said that during the probe, the party took ownership of eight accounts but kept 13 hidden. Hiding such information from the ECP is a violation of Article 17 of the Constitution, the agency said.
In a bail petition, the counsel for Khan had urged the court to stop the agency from arresting the chairman of the party in the case.
At the outset of the hearing on Thursday, Rizwan Abbasi, a special prosecutor, requested the court to reject Khan’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 his client to appear before the court for Thursday’s hearing.
The prosecutor maintained that Khan has been politically active since the assassination bid on his life during a protest rally in Wazirabad in November.
“He is running the political affairs but doesn’t appear in the court,” Abbasi said, 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 former prime minister at his residence in Lahore.
When asked about the reason for Khan’s absence from investigations, his lawyer said 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 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 residence.
“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 agency under any circumstances and adjourned the hearing till January 31.
