Prohibited funding case: Asad Qaiser gets FIA questionnaire

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has handed over a questionnaire to Former National Assembly (NA) Speaker and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Qaiser in party’s prohibited funding case. According to details, former NA Speaker Asad Qaiser appeared before an FIA team probing a bank account of his party operated by him. The FIA team handed him over a form containing 26 questions and sought details of bank accounts along with sources of income. The bank account in question was disowned by the PTI before the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). Some of the questions put forward to Asad Qaiser are: “Do you own that bank account?; What was the purpose of opening the account?; whether amount was credited in the above account from foreign company?; have you ever declared the account in Election Commission? The PTI leader was also asked about details regarding tax returns, the source of his income, and bank accounts operated by him individually or jointly.

ECP verdict

The ECP bench in its reserved verdict said prohibited funding against PTI had been proven. ECP, in its unanimous verdict, ruled that the party received funds from business tycoon Arif Naqvi and from 34 foreign nationals. A three-member bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja, comprising Nisar Ahmed Durrani and Shah Muhammad Jatoi announced the reserved verdict.