ECP rules PTI received prohibited funding, Imran submitted 'false' affidavit
Pakistan
The case was filed by PTI founding member Akbar S. Babar.
ISLAMABAD (Dunya News) – Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday announced verdict in prohibited funding case against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
ECP, in its unanimous verdict, ruled that the party received funds from business tycoon Arif Naqvi and from 34 foreign nationals. It went on to say that the party had taken ownership of eight accounts and kept 16 hidden.
Unknown accounts have also come to light, said the commission in its verdict, adding that hiding accounts is a "violation" of Article 17 of the Constitution.
The The electoral watchdog also decided to issue a show-cause notice to the PTI to explain why the commission should not seize the funds it received.
The commission also said that PTI chief Imran Khan had submitted a “misdeclaration” with the commission.
The Election Commission of Pakistan had reserved its verdict in prohibited funding case — previously referred to as the foreign funding case — after the conclusion of arguments from both sides of the case on June 21.
The case was filed by PTI founding member Akbar S. Babar and was pending since November 14, 2014. Babar had alleged serious financial irregularities in the party’s funding from Pakistan and abroad.
In March 2018, a scrutiny committee was constituted to examine the PTI financing. The committee submitted its report on January 4, after 95 hearings and nearly four years.
No foreign funding proved, PDM propaganda exposed: PTI leaders
PTI spokesperson on legal issues Maleeka Ali Bokhari said that this is not a foreign funding case and another PDM propaganda has been exposed.
"Headlines were made in newspapers that PTI received foreign. We have been clear that this a prohibited funding case. Today it has been proved that the biased Election commission applied Elections Act 2017 and Political Parties Ordinance 2002 on PTI and these rules are not applied on any other party."
"Today it was a big disappointment to those who were making the narrative that this is a case of foreign funding and that PTI is going to be banned," said Farrukh Habib.
While former Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Fawad Chaudhry said that PTI relies on the funds of overseas Pakistanis and questioned that why PML-N, PPP and JUI-F do not like overseas Pakistanis?
Fawad said, "PTI has relied on overseas Pakistanis and will continue to do so. ECP has admitted there’s no foreign funding involved."
"PTI is the only party that takes donations from the public while other parties have billionaires as their backers," said Fawad.
PTI created hurdles in proceedings of prohibited funding case: Abbasi
Senior PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has said the PTI received one hundred and fifty crore rupees from the sources which are not permissible under the law of Pakistan.
Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said the PTI created hurdles in the proceedings of the prohibited funding case and also put pressure on the Election Commission of Pakistan.
He said the whole conspiracy stands exposed before the masses as the funds were received by the PTI from foreign nationals and companies to do politics in Pakistan.
Akbar Babar wants Khan to handover party to ‘ideological workers’
Petitioner prohibited funding case, Akbar S. Babar has demanded Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan to step down and hand over his party to the ideological workers of his party.
"The election commission’s decision has built a wall before the fascism, now the constitutional institutions will decide the matter on proof" he said. "The decision that announced today has buried the doctrine of necessity, it is an eye opener for the PTI workers," he said.
"An independent election commission has framed charges against the PTI,” he said. “The time has ripe for a regime change in the PTI," he said. "I demand Imran Khan to step down and handover the party to its ideological workers," he stated.
PTI-ECP discord
PTI Chief Imran Khan is demanding removal of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) for months, accusing him of being biased towards the PML-N.
He has alleged that CEC was “incompetent” and “dishonest”.
Last week, the PTI also decided to move a reference against CEC Sikandar Raja in the judicial commission. The party also got resolutions against the CEC passed from Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assemblies, where it has the majority.
On the other hand, the ruling coalition had been urging the election commission to announce a verdict in the case without any further delay.
