According to reports, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has registered a case against former prime minister Imran Khan and other Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) leaders in connection with their party reportedly receiving illegal funds in the infamous foreign funding case. Earlier, the PTI said on Friday that the FIA had arrested several of its officials, including Senator Saifullah Khan Niazi, Hamid Zaman, and Tariq Shafi. Initially, the FIA disputed the report, but now it has emerged that the FIA has arrested Hamid Zaman and others. Imran Khan was booked on Monday. The party made it clear Senator Niazi was pulled up from the grounds of Parliament House, where he had arrived for a Senate session. This is unfortunate as a parliament member cannot be arrested without the permission of the Senate chairman or speaker. Other than arrests, the FIA has raided the houses of the Senators and MNAs and taken some devices. PTI leader Amer Mehmood Kiani also raised such complaints.
The latest actions of the FIA stem from the complaint of the government through the FIA’s Corporate Banking Circle in Islamabad that Arif Masood Naqvi, the owner of Wooton Cricket Limited, transferred “ill-gotten” money to a United Bank Limited (UBL) account maintained in the name of the PTI. This happened in 2012-13. The action was taken in the light of a verdict by the Election Commission of Pakistan in the prohibited financing case – also known as the foreign funding case – against the PTI last month. The case shows that the party did indeed accept unlawful cash. On the other hand, the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment has issued arrest warrants for Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah in a corruption case. The minister has evaded arrest, but the Punjab police are after him. The new case against Imran Khan will escalate the tension and more cases will be exchanged.
