FIA interrogates Imran’s lawyer over judge’s controversial FB post

Agency also summons PTI chief's other lawyer, Khawaja Haris, on Wednesday (today) at 2pm


Our Correspondent August 08, 2023
Naeem Haider Panjutha arrives at the High Court to file a petition against Khan's conviction in Islamabad on August 8, 2023. PHOTO: AFP

ISLAMABAD:

PTI chairman Imran Khan’s lawyer Naeem Haider Panjutha on Tuesday was interrogated for hours by the Federal Investigation Agency's (FIA) Cyber Crime Cell in Islamabad.

The former premier’s lawyer was questioned for more than 7:30 hours by the FIA Cyber Crime Cell in connection with Toshakhana (gift repository) case Judge Humayun Dilawar’s controversial Facebook post, according to sources.

"I was released after eight hours of unnecessary detention," he wrote on Twitter with a video message.

Panjutha was issued a notice to appear before the FIA inquiry team at 10am on Tuesday but he reached there at 2pm.

The PTI chairman’s counsel and his colleagues were intercepted at the reception of the FIA Cyber Crime Cell and his cell phone, as well as, other lawyers were sent back.

Speaking to the media on his arrival at the FIA Cyber Crime Cell’s building, Panjutha maintained that he had not formally received a notice from the agency.

He added that he learnt that the FIA had summoned him through TV talk shows and the social media.

Also read: ECP disqualifies Imran for five years after Toshakhana verdict

He said the controversial Facebook post had been deleted, and they only commented that the judge had conceded that it was his account.

The lawyer continued that if that was the case, the judge should have approached the FIA to find out who had hacked his account but he did not do so.

“Therefore, we had demanded that the judge should not have heard the Toshakhana case,” he added.

Earlier, a member of Imran’s legal team, Sher Afzal Khan Marwat, tweeted that Panjutha's clerk confirmed that the lawyer had been arrested.

However, the FIA refuted this claim.

The FIA has also summoned the PTI chief's other lawyer, Khawaja Haris, on Wednesday (today) at 2pm.

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