LHC Lists Imran Khan’s Plea Against PTI Funding Probe
The Lahore High Court has listed for hearing a petition by former prime minister Imran Khan against the Federal Investigation Agency’s PTI funding probe. Justice Tariq Mahmood Bajwa will hear the plea on November 18.
Khan filed the petition more than four years ago, challenging the FIA inquiry into alleged foreign funding of the PTI. The agency launched a countrywide inquiry in August 2022 and summoned employees of the PTI secretariat to question them about alleged money laundering and embezzlement of party funds.
PTI funding probe: the plea before the court
The petition has waited years for a hearing. The court has now fixed November 18 for the matter to come up before Justice Bajwa.
The FIA inquiry began after the Election Commission of Pakistan ruled that the PTI had received funding from prohibited sources. The agency opened inquiries in Islamabad, Karachi, Peshawar, Lahore and Quetta, and formed a five-member monitoring team to supervise them.
How the case began
The funding case began in November 2014, when PTI founding member Akbar S. Babar accused the party and its leadership of corruption and illegal funding. The case stayed before the Election Commission for almost eight years.
In August 2022, a three-member bench of the commission ruled in a unanimous verdict that the PTI had received prohibited funding. The commission found that donations had come from the United States, Australia, Canada and the United Arab Emirates, and that the party had received funds from 34 individuals and 351 businesses, including companies.
The verdict also found 13 bank accounts that the party had not disclosed. The commission said hiding the accounts violated Article 17 of the Constitution, and that Khan had submitted a false affidavit about the party’s accounts. The PTI has denied any wrongdoing and maintains that the funding did not come from prohibited sources.
The FIA inquiry that followed
After the commission’s verdict, the FIA launched a formal countrywide investigation into the use of funds from prohibited sources. A five-member monitoring team headed by Muhammad Athar Waheed supervised inquiry teams in the five cities.
In October 2022, the FIA registered a case against Khan and other PTI leaders, alleging that funds had been routed through party accounts in breach of the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act. The complaint named an alleged transfer of $2.1 million from the Abraaj Group to a PTI bank account in Islamabad.
The PTI challenged the FIA inquiry in the Islamabad High Court in October 2022, saying the agency was harassing party members on political grounds and that the inquiry was unlawful. The court fixed that petition for hearing before Justice Aamer Farooq.
Why the hearing matters now
The November 18 hearing comes more than four years after Khan filed the petition. The case is one of several PTI legal matters now moving through the courts. A larger bench of the Lahore High Court is also set to hear the party’s plea for the return of its election symbol, while opposition leaders have approached the Federal Constitutional Court for the release of detained PTI lawmakers.
The Islamabad High Court has barred Imran Khan’s lawyers from politics in the £190 million case, and the Federal Constitutional Court marked its first anniversary this week.
What the court decides on November 18 will shape whether the FIA inquiry, now more than four years old, faces a full legal examination.
Frequently asked questions
What has the Lahore High Court listed?
A petition filed by former prime minister Imran Khan more than four years ago against the FIA inquiry into alleged foreign funding of the PTI. Justice Tariq Mahmood Bajwa will hear it on November 18.
What is the PTI funding case about?
The case began in November 2014, when PTI founding member Akbar S. Babar accused the party of illegal funding. In August 2022, the Election Commission ruled the PTI had received funding from prohibited sources.
What did the Election Commission find?
It found donations from the United States, Australia, Canada and the United Arab Emirates, funds from 34 individuals and 351 businesses, and 13 undisclosed bank accounts. It said hiding the accounts violated Article 17 of the Constitution.
What did the FIA do after the verdict?
The FIA launched a countrywide investigation and a five-member monitoring team, and in October 2022 registered a case against Khan and other PTI leaders under the Foreign Exchange Regulation Act.
What does the PTI say?
The party denies any wrongdoing and maintains that its funding did not come from prohibited sources. It has challenged the FIA inquiry in court, saying the agency acted on political grounds.
