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Prohibited funding case: LHC bars FIA from ‘harassing’ Imran Khan

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  • Court orders FIA, other parties to submit responses in next hearing. 
  • Hearing adjourned till Dec 7. 
  • PTI challenged FIA’s summons, seeking a clean chit in case.

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday restricted the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) from harassing PTI chief Imran Khan. 

The directive came during the hearing of the PTI chief’s plea against the FIA summons in the prohibited funding case opened against him. 

During the hearing, the court ordered the FIA and other parties to submit their responses at the next hearing. The court asked if some action could be taken against a political party following the instructions of the federal government. 

“Does this inquiry have any legal protection or not?” asked the court. 

In response to this, Khan’s lawyer said: “The inquiry of the prohibited funding case has no legal protection.” 

The FIA alleges that the PTI’s accounts were opened with the signatures of the party’s top leadership, the court maintained. 

“Do you accept these accounts?” questioned the court. 

“There are 13 accounts that the PTI doesn’t accept,” replied the lawyer. 

The hearing has been adjourned till December 7. 

PTI challenges FIA summons

On November 5, the PTI’s legal team challenged the FIA’s summons to the party chairman in the high court, seeking a clean chit in the case which it termed was part of the government’s political witch hunt.

Khan, in his petition, disputed the FIA’s notice for his appearance before the agency on November 7 and made the Ministry of Interior, DG FIA, Deputy Director FIA, and the investigation officer stakeholders. The petition said FIA sent the notice with the intent of political victimisation on October 31.

“The FIA’s inquiry regarding PTI Punjab’s bank account is based on bad faith. The probe was initiated to harass the former prime minister,” the petition said.

The inquiry was aimed at benefiting the political rivals, the petition alleged. “No one has ever objected to the PTI’s opening party bank accounts. And in the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) ruling there are no instructions for FIA to investigate [PTI’s] bank accounts,” the petition read.

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According to Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif, accusations made against Pakistan by Bushra Bibi, the spouse of the PTI founder, are vile and disgusting because Pakistan has historical relations to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

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The defense minister stated at a press conference in Islamabad that the Kingdom should not be involved in politics for selfish reasons because of our historical, religious, and economic ties with Saudi Arabia.

2.8 million Pakistanis work in Saudi Arabia and send millions of dollars in remittances, he added, adding that making unfounded accusations against the country will hurt Pakistan’s economy.

According to him, Saudi Arabia has always stood by Pakistan throughout its most trying moments, and Pakistanis have a deep affection and connection to the Kingdom.

There is a breach among PTI ranks and files, and Khawaja Asif stated that we have never witnessed such a low point in politics.

Given the gravity of the accusation, the Minister said, former Army Chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa should respond right away.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government should fight terrorism rather than target the city, he said, adding that the PTI’s demand for a demonstration on November 24 is the third strike on the federal capital.

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The Interior Ministry prohibits KP from using government machinery for PTI protests.

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Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is not allowed to use the resources of the Provincial Government for a party protest, according to the Interior Ministry.

On November 24, the PTI has scheduled a protest, and Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Ali Amin Gandapur has declared his intention to participate.

The Federal Government arrested a number of Provincial Government officials who were ordered to participate in the violent protest in Islamabad by the PTI, and confiscated vehicles used by the KP Government against the state during the previous protest in October.

However, the Jinnah Supermarket Traders Union has petitioned the Islamabad High Court to halt the PTI demonstration in the capital and deem it unlawful.

In the petition, the head of the Traders Union has asked the court to rule that the PTI protest violates fundamental human rights by preventing companies from operating and removing the public’s ability to visit stores for necessities.

The petition asked the high court to protect the capital’s workers and PTI founder from unlawful protests.

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Planning Minister: The Nation Is Back on Track for Development

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Ahsan Iqbal, the Federal Minister for Planning and Development, asserts that the country’s youth are its future and that Pakistan has made great strides over the past 77 years, becoming the sixth nuclear state in the world today.

Speaking at a ceremony in Islamabad, Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal stated that inconsistent policies have an impact on the development process.

According to Ahsan Iqbal, the CPEC got Pakistan on its path to growth, and the government is currently moving on with phase two of the project.

The country was in danger of defaulting, but the government has put it back on course, he said.

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