PHC asks six questions from FIA

Humayun Khan
PESHAWAR: Peshawar High Court (PHC) asks six questions from Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) regarding issuance of notice to former Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser in foreign/prohibited funds decision against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) while directed to submit reply within fortnight, on Thursday.
A divisional bench of PHC comprising of Justice Shakeel Ahmad and Justice Kamran Hayat asks that is Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ordered FIA to initiate inquiry? Is Federal Government directed FIA to probe foreign/prohibited fund case?
The divisional further inquired is Political Party Order 2002 the FIA’s jurisdiction? Is the call notice initiated on dishonesty or political victimization? Is the FIA holds jurisdiction in matter or not?
The counsel for petitioner Barrister Gohar Khan Advocate argued that FIA lacks jurisdiction to initiated inquiry on ECP case while no funds provided to PTI’s central account but only utilized for payment of salaries by party’s provincial chapter.
The counsel further argued that ECP neither declared at foreign nor prohibited fund, so FIA cannot initiate inquiry beyond its jurisdiction while requested for cancelation FIA’s notice.
Barrister Gohar Khan informed that case was filed by Babar S Akbar at ECP and himself accredited the party accounts as PTI’s activist firstly while no account is personal account of Asad Qaiser but its party’s provincial chapter exchequer and ECP did not directed to initiate inquiry.
During hearing Additional Attorney General Amir Javeed argued that ECP has directed government to initiate inquiry while government can orders the departments to probe, however Barrister Gohar Khan argued that FIA has jurisdiction to probe accounts but ECP didn’t ordered government for inquiry.
The divisional bench comprising of Justice Shakeel Ahmad and Justice Kamran Hayat directed FIA to submit reply within fortnight regarding orders of ECP to federal government along FIA and adjourned further hearing.