ISLAMABAD: Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday rejected Pakistan Tehreek-e-Inasaf (PTI) request to adjourn the foreign funding case hearing, stating that they have been adjourning this case during the past seven years.
According to details, a three-member bench heard the PTI’s foreign funding case where the chief election commissioner inquired about the comments that were to be presented before the court on the scrutiny report.
Replying to the inquiry, PTI’s lawyer said that Anwar Mansoor has to come from Karachi for the hearings, although he came to Islamabad but is severely ill therefore he cannot attend the hearing.
On the other hand, Akbar S Babar said that today he wants to present his arguments before the court.
Akbar S. Babar’s counsel in his arguments said that the scrutiny committee confirmed the claim that the accounts were kept secret. “The committee also confirmed about 10 million dollars,” counsel said. “They didn’t provide the details of the party’s foreign accounts,” the counsel further said.
“The scrutiny committee has confirmed the contentions of the petitioner. The PTI wants to keep Akbar S. Babar away from the case,” counsel said. He pleaded for rejecting the petition of the PTI.
“The committee has confirmed about prohibited funding to the party,” the counsel argued.
The election commission reserved its decision over the PTI’s plea. It adjourned further hearing of the case until March 17.
The PTI foreign funding case continues to linger since November 2014 when it was filed by Babar, the party’s founding member.
In his petition, Babar had alleged serious financial irregularities in the ruling party’s accounts, including illegal sources of funding, concealment of bank accounts within the country and abroad, money laundering, and use of private bank accounts of party employees as a front to receive illegal donations from the Middle East.
The scrutiny committee was formed in March 2018 to completely scrutinize PTI accounts, but it took almost four years to present its report to the ECP, which was submitted in Dec 2021.
