Imran Khan’s Bail in Prohibited Funding Case Upheld by Pakistan Court Despite Plea for Cancellation

Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan has been granted bail by an Islamabad-based banking court in a prohibited funding case. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had filed a case against Khan and other members of his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), for allegedly receiving prohibited funding from overseas Pakistanis. The case was filed by PTI’s estranged founding member Akbar S Babar in the Election Commission of Pakistan in 2014. The FIA had filed an application in the Islamabad High Court against the banking court’s decision to grant bail to Khan and appealed to the court to annul the decision as it was “against the law”. However, the court rejected the plea. In 2022, Pakistan’s Election Commission said the allegations of taking prohibited funds from overseas Pakistanis against Khan were proven. It issued a new show-cause notice to PTI asking why these funds should not be confiscated.