PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court on Tuesday directed former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser to submit a reply to a questionnaire given to him by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in connection with an inquiry into the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s two bank accounts managed by him in Peshawar.

A bench consisting of Justice Lal Jan Khattak and Justice Shakeel Ahmad adjourned to Sept 22 the hearing into Mr Qaiser’s petition against the FIA inquiry and a call-up notice issue to him by the investigation officer.

The court, which has already stopped the FIA from taking any ‘adverse’ action against Mr Qaiser, asked the petitioner to cooperate with the FIA in the ongoing inquiry.

The FIA deputy director (commercial banking circle), Peshawar, had ordered that inquiry in the wake of the Aug 2 pronouncement of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) that the PTI had received funds from prohibited sources.

Adjourns hearing into PTI bank accounts probe case

Lawyers Khalid Rehman and Arshid Nowshervi appeared for Mr Qaiser, while additional attorney general Aamir Javed represented the FIA and federal government.

Mr Qaiser’s lawyers requested the bench to put off the hearing as the lead counsel, Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, was busy with the Supreme Court.

They added that arguments in the case would be made by Mr Gohar.

When the bench asked where the petitioner was, the lawyers said their client had certain engagements, so he didn’t show up.

The court observed that that attitude of the ex-NA speaker was inappropriate and that he should have been here.

When the bench asked AAG Aamir Javed whether the petitioner had appeared before the FIA, he replied that Mr Qaiser did see the FIA team after receiving forth call-up notice.

A representative of the FIA said a few days ago, the petitioner was given a questionnaire about those two bank accounts but he had yet to respond to it.

The bench directed the petitioner to submit reply to the questionnaire and adjourned the hearing until Sept 22.

The petitioner has requested the court to set aside a notice by a FIA inquiry officer to appear before him in connection with the inquiry into two bank accounts managed by him from 2010 to 2013 as the PT I’s provincial head.

The petitioner pleaded that inquiry be declared illegal and based on mala fide.

He has contended that the FIA’s deputy director, Peshawar, and the inquiry officer had assumed jurisdiction to the order passed by the ECP on Aug 2, 2022, and had issued the notice asking him to appear before the inquiry team on Aug 11 and answer the questions about those bank accounts.

Mr Qaiser said the ECP had neither issued any direction nor had it forwarded the case to the federal government for inquiry against him.

He claimed that the matter did not fall within the ambit of articles 6(3) and 2(C)(iii) of the Political Parties Order, 2002.

The petitioner said the two bank accounts were of the PTI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s and had nothing to do with the party’s foreign funding.

Published in Dawn, September 14th, 2022