Imran Khan likely to be arrested in foreign funding case: Report

Islamabad: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan is likely to be arrested in foreign funding case, ARY citing sources reported on Friday.

The report comes soon after the other PTI leaders including Tariq Shafi, Hamid Zaman and Saif Niazi were arrested the same day.

The media outlet said that Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah ordered concerned authorities to lodge a case against Imran Khan.

Earlier also Dawn newspaper citing sources reported that the federal government has prepared a plan under which the police have been given a go ahead to put Imran Khan under house arrest at his Banigala residence after the announcement of the much-hyped long march.

Notably, PTI leader Saifullah Niazi was also taken into custody by the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Cybercrime wing on Friday, on charges of running an ‘unauthorized’ website, which was being used for illegal fundraising, ARY news reported.

“After Shehbaz Sharif’s press conference yesterday and the subsequent arrests of Tariq Shafi, Hamid Zaman and Saif Niazi, it is clear that the government is panicking and is scared after the announcement of ‘Azadi March’,” PTI leader Chaudhry Fawad Hussain tweeted.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Friday, Rana Sanaullah gave reasons for the detention and noted that the PTI leaders were not appearing before the FIA in the party’s prohibited funding case.

Meanwhile, Imran Khan directed party workers to get ready for the ‘Haqeeqi Azadi March’ in Islamabad.

After the announcement, the Shehbaz Sharif-led federal government had decided to call out army and deploy troops in the capital city if PTI chief Imran Khan gave a call for the march.

The ousted Prime minister claimed that there is only one way for Pakistan to come out of the prevailing situation and that is to ensure fresh general elections in the country.

While addressing a mega rally last month in Punjab’s Rahimyar Khan district, Khan said he would give the final call for anti-government protests when the time was ripe, asserting that it would come when he is assured that he can “take three wickets in one ball”.