PTI fails to submit response on foreign funding case in ECP again

The party's lawyer said they will submit the response in the next hearing


Irfan Ghauri November 21, 2017
PTI chief Imran Khan. PHOTO: PTI / FILE

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday summoned the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Central Finance Secretary, Sardar Azhar Tariq Khan, to appear in person on the next date of hearing to answer queries about the “financial evidence” submitted by the PTI before the commission.

The order was passed after the PTI once again sought adjournment of the foreign funding case proceeding on the plea that their senior lawyer is unwell.

During the last hearing, the ECP had directed the Imran Khan-led party to submit its reply to the petitioner’s analysis of their evidence presented before the Supreme Court and the ECP.

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The petitioner, Akbar S Babar, had presented a detailed analysis of the evidence submitted by the PTI during the last hearing. He claimed that the details submitted by the PTI was mostly “concocted and fabricated and does not provide any evidence of multiple illegal foreign sources of funds or any money trail the evidence of which has already been shared with the ECP”.

When questioned by the bench as to why the PTI had not submitted its reply, the party’s junior lawyer apologised and sought adjournment of the case instead. He pleaded that the next date of hearing should be after December 5 when a single bench of the IHC is set to hear the PTI’s writ petition, challenging the ECP jurisdiction to hear the foreign funding case.

Petitioner’s lawyer Syed Ahmed Hasan pleaded that the PTI had consistently employed delaying tactics which should not be tolerated anymore. “I am ready to assist the ECP and provide a detailed analysis of the mostly fake evidence submitted by PTI,” he said.

PTI funding needs thorough probe: SC

The petitioner suggested that the time had come for the court to order confiscation of all prohibited funds received by the PTI, particularly those from the US, and added that the Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) should be ordered to probe the PTI accounts for identifying the full scale and scope of illegal sources and funds received from abroad.

The ECP member from Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa suggested that it would be better if the respondent’s representatives were also present during the scrutiny of the PTI’s evidence.

Consequently, the four-member bench adjourned hearing until December 12 with clear instructions for the PTI central information secretary and finance manager to be personally present during the next hearing to answer queries.

The PTI junior lawyer committed to submit a reply to the petitioner’s analysis much before the next hearing date.

 

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