PTI leaders no-show at FIA prohibited funding investigation

Qasim Khan Suri, Syed Zahoor Agha among other PTI leaders summoned in Quetta by FIA

QUETTA:

Former deputy speaker National Assembly Qasim Khan Suri, former governor Balochistan Syed Zahoor Agha and other Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders failed to appear before the Federal Investigation Agency's (FIA) inquiry team on the prohibited funding case on Thursday morning.

The assistant director FIA Commercial Banking Circle (CBC) had summoned the PTI leaders in Quetta.

"I came to know about the summon notice late night when I was in Islamabad," Suri told The Express Tribune. He said, "I am not frightened of any summoning and ready to face any inquiry".

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Nonetheless, Suri explained that the PTI's Balochistan account had received Rs5.3 million from 2011 to 2013 for holding a public meeting in Quetta and payment of salaries to office employees.

The PTI's Balochistan chapter had received this amount from the party's Islamabad chapter, he clarified.

On August 5, the FIA announced the initiation of an investigation in the prohibited funding case and said that five different inquiry teams have been formed by the FIA against the PTI. Various inquiry teams have been formed that are expected to work in Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Islamabad and Quetta.

On August 10, the PTI challenged the ECP's verdict in the IHC.

The FIA has also sent a notice to the former speaker of the National Assembly and PTI leader Asad Qaiser, stating that as per the verdict on Akbar S Babar’s case, Qaiser has two bank accounts and he is associated with the functioning of those two accounts. Therefore, he has been asked to appear before the inquiry team to answer questions regarding the details of the bank accounts.

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The FIA notices came after the ECP announced its much-awaited verdict in the funding case of the former ruling party. A three-member ECP bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja had announced the verdict in a case filed by PTI founding member Akbar S Babar which had been pending since November 14, 2014.

Earlier today, the IHC disposed of a petition filed by the PTI against the FIA’s notices in the ongoing investigation. As the PTI could not get relief, the FIA is expected to continue its action against the party's finance wing.

Meanwhile, Asad Qaiser has also challenged the notice in the PTI funding case in the Peshawar High Court (PHC).

Asad Qaiser had filed a writ petition in court through his lawyer, Barrister Gohar Ali, to avoid appearing before the federal agency and possible arrest in the high-profile case.