LAHORE: Justice Ali Zia Bajwa of the Lahore High Court on Monday recused himself from a petition of chairman Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan for personal reasons challenging a call-up notice of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in the foreign funding case.

The judge sent the petition to the Chief Justice for placing it before any other appropriate bench. The FIA had issued the call-up notice to Imran Khan for appearance before an investigation team on November 7.

The petition contended that the agency had no authority to proceed in the matter, especially when the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) did not hold that any law had been violated in opening or operating the bank accounts in question.

The ECP never directed the FIA or any other agency to inquire into any aspect of the bank accounts, it added. The petition, therefore, asked the court to quash the impugned notice and also declare that the FIA inquiry was without lawful authority.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022