Every party bound to reveal funding sources: CJP
PTI's counsel said Imran Khan is not responsible for collecting funds from forbidden sources
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – While the hearing of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) funding case on July 31, Supreme Court Chief Justice Saqib Nisar said every political party in the country is bound to reveal sources of funding.
PTI’s counsel Anwar Mansoor admitted that the opposition party did collect funds from forbidden sources, but chairman Imran Khan is not responsible for it as the foreign agent in the United States violated party policies. On the other hand, Hanif Abbasi’s lawyer asked to disqualify Imran Khan in foreign funding matter.
Justice Umar Ata Bandial acknowledged that PTI collected foreign funds from forbidden sources to a certain extent which were accommodated in the US and never sent to Pakistan by the foreign agent. He asked how the foreign agent collected money from forbidden sources and whether the ECP supposed to neglect such matters.
When PTI’s lawyer argued PTI had submitted audited accounts in Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and any discrepancy could have resulted in not accepting the accounts, Chief Justice responded that ECP doesn’t issue clearance certificates to political parties over submission of audited accounts.
He further stated that ECP is the right forum to decide whether funds are from forbidden sources.
Lawyer Akram Sheikh said in his discussion that PTI submitted forged documents in which foreign funding from forbidden companies and corporations is not mentioned, adding that it also differs from the data of funding provided on the website.
He declared that Imran Khan told lies in ECP and hence he is not Sadiq and Ameen, according to Article 62. However, Justice Saqib Nisar differed saying PTI chairman’s certificate was in accordance with his knowledge as he cannot review funds received from every single source.
