• Banking court judge Abdul Ghafoor Kakar expresses displeasure over delays since 2022
• Warns of show-cause notice, possibility of summoning agency’s director general
ISLAMABAD: The Banking court (offences), presided over by Judge Abdul Ghafoor Kakar, on Monday directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to complete the challan in the high-profile PTI prohibited funding case, expressing strong displeasure over prolonged delays in the investigation.
During the hearing, Special Prosecutor Mohammad Wasiq Malik appeared before the court. The judge sharply questioned the prosecution over its failure to finalise the challan despite the case being pending since 2022.
“What have you been doing all this time? Why has the challan still not been completed?” the judge asked, warning that continued negligence would not be tolerated.
In response, Prosecutor Wasiq Malik informed the court that a letter had been sent to a concerned foreign country seeking its opinion in connection with the investigation. He requested the court to grant seven to ten days to complete the challan and urged it not to issue a show-cause notice to the investigating officer or summon the FIA director deneral at this stage.
However, Judge Abdul Ghafoor Kakar expressed dissatisfaction with the explanation, stating that the court was considering issuing a show-cause notice to the investigating officer and summoning the FIA director general at the next hearing if tangible progress was not made. “This matter has been pending for years, and you have not shown any seriousness,” the judge remarked.
The court ultimately directed the prosecution to demonstrate concrete progress within two days, emphasising that any further leniency would depend on visible performance. The hearing was adjourned until February 4.
According to sources, the FIA has nominated six individuals in the case, including the founder of PTI, Tariq Shafi, Hamid Zaman, and others. The accused are alleged to have been involved in illegal foreign funding amounting to approximately $2.1 million.
Investigators claim that the funds were transferred to PTI through a company named Vote on Cricket Limited. PTI’s records submitted to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) reportedly describe the company as being owned by businessman Arif Naqvi and registered in Cayman Islands and Ireland. However, the FIA’s challan asserts that the company is fake and not registered in any jurisdiction.
The FIA has already submitted a separate challan against three proclaimed offenders, including Arif Naqvi and Tariq Rahim Sheikh. These accused are alleged to have unlawfully solicited funds and manipulated official financial records to conceal the true source of donations.
In 2022, the ECP ruled that PTI had received prohibited foreign funding in violation of Pakistani laws.
The ECP determined that the party received donations from 34 foreign nationals and 351 foreign companies, including Wootton Cricket Limited, operated by Arif Naqvi, from which PTI received $2,121,500. Other prohibited donors included Bristol Engineering Services (UAE), E-Planet Trustees (Cayman Islands), SS Marketing Manchester (UK), PTI USA LLC entities, and PTI Canada Corporation.
Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2026
