Foreign funding case: SHC orders PTI leaders to appear before FIA

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Thursday ordered the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf leaders, including the ex- Governor Sindh, Imran Ismail to appear before the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA), investigation officer to record their statements in the foreign funding inquiry.

The order came on a petition filed by PTI leader Imran Ismail and others in which they challenged the initiation of the FIA inquiry after the Election Commission of Pakistan’s order in the PTI foreign funding case. He said neither the ECP, nor the federal government can issue directions to any agency to take cognizance of a matter, which does not fall within the ambit or is totally beyond the jurisdiction of the FIA. The court was requested to declare that the initiation of the inquiry pertaining to the petitioners’ bank accounts were closed in an undue haste without lawful authority and set aside the call-up notice issued by the FIA to the petitioners.

The Deputy Attorney General Khaleeq Ahmed submitted that the FIA issued notice in accordance with the law and matter falls within schedule offence. The FIA investigation officer requested the court to direct all the petitioners to appear before FIA to record their statements on September 26.

The SHC’s division bench headed by Justice Mohammad Karim Khan Agha observed that the FIA shall continue with the inquiry until the next date of hearing, however, no coercive action shall be taken against any of the petitioners Imran Ismail, Seema Zia, Samar Ali Khan, Mohammad Najeeb Haroon and Mohammad Javed Umer.