LHC suspends FIA call-up notice to Imran Khan in cipher inquiry

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday suspended a call-up notice issued to Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in an inquiry into an audio leak relating to cipher controversy and sought a reply from the agency by Dec 19.

Earlier, Justice Asjad Javed Ghural overruled a registrar office’s objection on the petition of Khan.

The office had stated that the matter apparently fell into the domain of the Islamabad High Court.

At the outset of the hearing, Khan’s counsel Barrister Salman Safdar argued that the objection put by the office was unnecessary. He said the petitioner had been advised a bed rest following injuries sustained in the Wazirabad attack and could not travel to Islamabad.

Moreover, he said the petitioner was a resident of Lahore. Justice Ghural examined the office’s objection and observed that the petition was maintainable before the LHC as well.

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The counsel started his arguments on the merits of the case when the judge resumed the hearing after a short break.

Barrister Safdar said the FIA initiated the inquiry into the alleged audio leak pertaining to the diplomatic cipher received from a foreign country. He said the impugned notice by the FIA was silent about any criminal wrongdoing committed by the petitioner.

He alleged that people involved in the Wazirabad attack were behind the inquiry initiated against the petitioner.

The judge asked the counsel whether the government conducted a forensic examination of the leaked audio.

“Can FIA hold an inquiry without having a forensic of the audio first?” the judge posed a query.

The petitioner’s counsel said no inquiry could be held without a forensic of the purported audio.

The judge asked the counsel whether the petitioner was the only person being summoned in the inquiry.

Barrister Safdar told the judge that some other leaders of the PTI including former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi were also implicated in the inquiry.

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 has been pointed out against the petitioner.

Justice Ghural suspended the operation of the impugned call-up notice and sought a reply from the FIA by Dec 19. Khan was required to appear before the FIA on Tuesday.