Daily Times

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) Thursday stopped the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) from grilling the PTI leader and former speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser in the prohibited funding case. The FIA had summoned Asad for questioning but he refused to appear before the body, as he had challenged their decision to summon him a day earlier. In a short order, the court prohibited the FIA from investigating the ex-NA speaker till the next hearing. The court asked the FIA whether the federal government had asked it to probe the PTI leaders. It also asked the FIA whether the probe under the Political Parties Order 2022 fell within their ambit. The high court also asked the FIA whether the summoning of the former NA speaker was based on “malintent or whether it was politically influenced”. In a unanimous ruling earlier this month, the Election Commission’s three-member bench said that it had found that the PTI received prohibited funding.

The case was earlier referred to as the “foreign funding” case, but later, the election commission accepted the PTI’s plea to refer to it as the “prohibited funding” case. As per the 68-page order, the Commission states that Imran Khan-led PTI, indeed, received funding from foreign companies and individuals, but the party did not declare it. The ECP’s verdict states that the PTI received funds from 34 individuals and 351 businesses, including companies.

Thirteen unknown accounts have also come to light, said the verdict, adding that hiding accounts was a “violation” of Article 17 of the Constitution.

Moreover, the ECP found that the PTI chairperson submitted a false Nomination Form I and that the affidavit provided regarding party accounts was false.