Foreign funding case: Imran Khan likely to be arrested

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman and former premier Imran Khan is likely to be arrested in foreign funding case, citing sources, ARY News reported on Friday.

Sources told ARY News that Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah ordered concerned authorities to lodge case against Imran Khan. The federal government has started mulling over options to arrest the PTI chief or put him under house arrest, sources added.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has already arrested Senator Saifullah Niazi, Tariq Shafi and Hamid Zamad. The First Information Report (FIR) of the foreign funding case also included nominated persons and ‘others’.

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Earlier in the day, Rana Sanaullah confirmed the detention of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Saifullah Niazi and leader Hamid Zaman in a case pertaining to the party’s prohibited funding.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad today, the interior minister said that PTI Senator Saifullah Niazi and Hamid Zaman – who is the trustee of Insaf Trust – have been taken into ‘protective custody’.

Giving reasons for the detention, Rana Sanaullah noted that the PTI leaders were not appearing before the Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) in the party’s prohibited funding case.

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“If necessary, we will take legal action and arrest them,” the federal minister added.

PTI central leaders including Asad Umar, Fawad Chaudhry, Murad Saeed and others alleged that Saifullah was ‘picked’ from the Senate premises.

ECP verdict

The ECP bench in its reserved verdict said prohibited funding against PTI had been proven.

READ: ECP SAYS PTI RECEIVED PROHIBITED FUNDS, ISSUES SHOW-CAUSE

ECP, in its unanimous verdict, ruled that the party received funds from business tycoon Arif Naqvi and from 34 foreign nationals.

A three-member bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja, comprising Nisar Ahmed Durrani and Shah Muhammad Jatoi announced the reserved verdict.

The ECP had also stated in its verdict that former prime minister Imran Khan submitted a misdeclaration in the PTI prohibited funding case. The electoral watchdog also decided to issue a show-cause notice to the PTI to explain why the commission should not seize the funds it received.