LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s former leader Hamid Zaman on Monday withdrew his post-arrest bail petition from a sessions court in a ‘foreign’ funding case registered by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) against several leaders of the party.

A counsel on behalf of Zaman told the court that the FIA inserted an offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1947 in the FIR against the petitioner. He said now the bail petition would be filed before a special court as the sessions court lacked jurisdiction to hear the matter.

He sought a permission from the court to withdraw the petition which was duly granted by Additional District and Sessions Judge Chaudhry Ghulam Rasool.

The FIR alleges that Tariq Shafi got registered a bogus trust to give an impression that same is part of the PTI in the name of “The Insaf Trust” as chairman with Ashiq Hussain Qureshi as deputy chairman, Hamid Zaman as general secretary, Manzoor Ahmad Chaudhry and Mubashir Ahmad as trustees.

It says the funding received in the trust was used for political campaigns of the PTI.

The agency further alleges that the suspects and Arif Naqvi of Abraaj group in collusion with the PTI leadership and others committed a fraud.

Zaman was arrested on Oct 7 and remained in custody of the FIA for two days before the court sent him on judicial remand. Zaman had contested the 2013 general election from Lahore on the ticket of the PTI.

Published in Dawn, October 18th, 2022