LAHORE: The Lahore High Court has dismissed a petition of Punjab School Education Minister Murad Raas, challenging a call-up notice of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in the ‘prohibited’ funding inquiry against the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).

The minister through his counsel contended that the FIA unlawfully took cognisance of the matter relating to the prohibited funding and fake accounts after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issued its decision. He said the inquiry initiated by the FIA was nothing but political victimisation.

The counsel asked the court to set aside the impugned notice issued by the FIA to the petitioner for being unlawful and based on mala fide intention.

Dismissing the petition, Justice Tariq Nadeem observed that a notice of an inquiry could not be suspended in a constitutional petition.

The FIA has initiated the inquiry into the matter pertaining to the ECP order in the PTI ‘prohibited’ funding case. An investigation team was notified just a few days after a three-member ECP bench in a unanimous verdict ruled that the PTI received prohibited funding in the case pending since 2014.

The FIA says the probe is being conducted under Section 6 of Political Parties Order, 2002. The agency has issued notices to several leaders of the PTI across the country.

Published in Dawn, August 26th, 2022