Foreign funding: PTI asks ECP to scrutinise accounts of PML-N, PPP

Requests the polls supervisory body to confiscate their funds, and deny them election symbols

ISLAMABAD: Accusing the country’s two largest political parties – the PML-N and the PPP – of receiving funds from prohibited sources, the PTI has asked the top electoral body to scrutinise their accounts, confiscate their funds, and refuse them election symbols under the relevant rules.

Ironically, the PTI – which is currently facing similar allegations of receiving funds from prohibited sources – had earlier challenged jurisdiction of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), claiming that the electoral body could not hear a foreign funding case. The ECP, however, had rejected that plea.

On September 12, the PTI also moved the apex court over the issue requesting the Supreme Court to declare the PML-N and the PPP as foreign-funded parties, receiving funds from prohibited sources.



But now PTI leader Farrukh Habib has filed two separate applications with the ECP to this effect.

In the application related to the ruling PML-N, the PTI leader claimed that audit report of the PML-N party fund accounts failed to disclose source of funds and accurate financial statement while details of the bankers were also not disclosed.

It said the auditors, who carried out audit of party accounts for the years 2013-15, also admitted that they failed to verify the party’s fixed assets amounting to Rs27 million. The PML-N also failed to disclose any office premises owned by it in Pakistan, it added.

“It means either it has no party office or they have an office which is on rent for which there is no account for the party office registered with the ECP,” the application said.

It claimed that the PML-N spent an amount of Rs1.3 billion on 2013 general election campaign but no explanation was given as to how the said funds were generated and what was their source.

“The PML-N has also concealed that PML-N in UK is a private limited company having registered office at 766, Ramford Road, London. This company in the UK is a sheer violation of the law, and non-disclosure of the same exhibits mala fide, concealment to benefit and formation [of the party] for ulterior motives,” it said.

It is more alarming, the application added, that the said company had the power to carry on any trade or business and to enter into any arrangement with any government or authority.



“The ECP has been requested to call for and scrutinise these funds to ascertain whether this company is providing or collecting any money which is prohibited under the Political Parties Order.

“The PML-N has been used as a tool for money laundering by Nawaz Sharif. In 2013, the PML-N received a sum of Rs100 million as donation from Sharif. But out of that donation, a sum of Rs45 million was remitted back in his personal accounts before the closing year of the same financial year.

“This transaction has neither been disclosed nor detailed before the ECP, nor has any inquiry been carried out about that,” the PTI alleged.

The application said the PML-N was apparently colluding with foreign governments to cause harm to Pakistan, adding that the party was being run by receiving contribution, donation and all sorts of funds from prohibited sources and through unlawful channels and blackmailing.

It requested the ECP to call a scrutiny into party accounts, refuse an election symbol to the PML-N and confiscate funds under Article 6(4) of the PPO.

In the case of the PPP, the PTI claimed that in its 2013 statement of account, the party had an opening fund of Rs41.4 million but the source of funds was not described.

“The ECP [should] duly scrutinise PPP’s detailed party accounts for financial years 2013-2015,” it said.