ISLAMABAD: Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday admitted a petition which seeks early decision in foreign funding cases, pending against the PML-N, the PPP and other political parties. Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court Justice Aamer Farooq ordered the court registrar to fix the petition for hearing on December 22.
During the course of today’s hearing, PTI counsel Faisal Chaudhry requested IHC to take up the plea before the start of the winter vacation. To which, the chief justice remarked that various important cases of PTI were already scheduled this month, yet, the petition for early decision in funding cases would also be heard before the vacation. “Let’s set a date for hearing after holidays,” IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq said to Faisal Chaudhry.
It may be recalled that last week, PTI leader Farrukh Habib had filed a separate petition in a pending case in the high court. He named the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) as a respondent in the case. He also requested the court to order the electoral watchdog to hear prohibited funding cases of other parties on a daily basis.
The former minister argued in his application that a delay in the decisions in cases against other political parties was giving them an opportunity to take political advantage of the “false report” against the Imran Khan-led party. Saying the fundamental rights of PTI members are being violated, the petition said that questions raised in the application should be answered to safeguard democracy.
In August this year, the ECP announced its verdict in the prohibited funding case against the PTI. It ruled that the party received funds from business tycoon Arif Naqvi and 34 foreign nationals. It went on to say that the party had taken ownership of eight accounts and kept 16 hidden.
The Petition:
“There is an order of the Supreme Court regarding the scrutiny of party funds. Only three-year funds of the PPP and the PML-N are being scrutinised,” the petition read.
“On the request of Akbar S Babar, the party funds of the PTI from 2008 had been scrutinised. The PTI was discriminated vis-à-vis other political parties,” it added.
“The ECP ditched its fair and transparent role in the scrutiny of party funds. The court should order the ECP to complete the scrutiny of the party funds of the PPP and the PML-N within two weeks,” it demanded.
It also demanded that the court order the scrutiny of five-year party funds of the PPP and the PML-N.
The court then fixed the petition of the PTI for hearing on December 22 next.
