LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Monday allowed time to a counsel for Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan to file his rejoinder to a reply by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in an inquiry into an audio leak relating to cipher controversy.

Khan challenged a call-up notice by the agency which was suspended by the court on a previous hearing.

As Justice Asjad Javed Ghural resumed the hearing, a legal representative of the FIA submitted a reply seeking dismissal of Khan’s petition.

The agency said the call-up notice to the petitioner was issued in accordance with law. It further said that the inquiry was being conducted as per the law and no harassment had been caused to the petitioner.

Call-up notice challenge plea in prohibited funding case adjourned

Khan’s counsel Barrister Salman Safdar sought time to file his rejoinder and the judge adjourned the hearing for a date to be fixed after winter vacation in courts.

In the petition, Barrister Safdar argued that the FIA summoned the petitioner in the impugned inquiry without disclosing any criminal wrongdoing committed by the petitioner.

He asked the court to set aside the impugned call-up notice by declaring it being issued without jurisdiction. He also urged the court to quash the inquiry in the interest of justice since no wrongdoing whatsoever had been pointed out against the petitioner.

Justice Ghural also adjourned hearing of another petition of Khan challenging a call-up notice in an inquiry in the prohibited funding case.

The judge had on Nov 8 suspended the impugned notice.

Khan through Advocate Intizar Hussain Panjhuta contended that the FIA had no power to proceed in the matter, especially when the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) did not even hold that any law had been violated in opening or operating the bank accounts in question.

He said the ECP never directed the FIA or any other agency to inquire into any aspect of the bank accounts. He argued that only the federal government and the ECP could take actions against the political parties.

The FIA, in its reply, defended the call-up notice saying it was competent to investigate offences taking place in private banks. It said the inquiry was relating to bank accounts about which the PTI claimed before the ECP that the accounts were opened without an authorisation of the party.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2022