Geo News claim that FIA arrested PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s lawyer Naeem Haider Panjotha, when he went to the FIA office as he was summoned for an investigation. As per sources, he is now back after an investigation of almost 8-hours.
Unnamed officials revealed that the lawyer had visited the FIA headquarters after being summoned for an investigation regarding the social media content posted by Judge Humayun Dilawar.
PTI lawyer Sher Afzal Khan Marwat conveyed via a tweet that the clerk of Panjotha had confirmed the arrest. However, it remained unclear whether the arrest was formal, as the initial information report could not be “registered directly and without permission of Islamabad High Court.”
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“The arrest of Naeem Haider Panjotha Adv by FIA has been reported. He went to FIA headquarters to participate in an inquiry into Humayun Dilawar’s Facebook posts,” tweeted the PTI leader.
Marwat emphasized that the arrest of Panjotha would foster solidarity within the legal community and would not impede the PTI chairman’s legal team from fulfilling their “professional obligations.” Following the directive of the IHC, the FIA’s Cybercrime Circle initiated an inquiry against Panjotha and instructed him to appear before the inquiry team at the Cybercrime Reporting Centre in Islamabad on the specified day.
In the summons, the inquiry officer requested the lawyer to provide clarity on his stance in the interest of ensuring a fair trial and upholding justice.
Recently, the IHC referred the “contentious” Facebook posts made by Judge Dilawar — who sentenced PTI leader Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case — to the FIA.
On August 5, Additional District and Sessions Judge Dilawar handed a three-year prison sentence to former Prime Minister Khan in the Toshakhana case, sending shockwaves throughout the party.
Shortly after his conviction, the PTI leader was taken into custody, provoking a vigorous reaction from the party.
The 70-year-old former cricketer-turned-politician was found guilty of exploiting his premiership to purchase and sell state-owned gifts received during foreign visits, valued at over 140 million Pakistani rupees ($635,000). Khan vehemently denies these allegations.
The PTI chief had sought the transfer of his case from Judge Dilawar’s court, asserting bias and the display of specific posts from his Facebook account to the IHC. However, the court was informed that the judge had refuted ownership of those posts.
