PTI challenges ECP panel in IHC

Commission ordered scrutiny of party's accounts


Our Correspondent May 18, 2018
PHOTO: ECP.GOV.PK

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday approached the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) order of March 12.

The commission had ordered formation of a fresh committee to scrutinise the PTI’s accounts under the foreign funding case.

In addition, petitioner, PTI Chairman Imran Khan, requested the court to declare the proceedings initiated by the committee against him “void, unlawful, without lawful authority and against the Constitution”.

Khan has made the ECP and Akber S Baber, a disgruntled member of the PTI, respondents in the petition.

The petitioner, through his counsel Babar Awan, stated in the petition that the ECP through the March 12 order constituted a second committee, comprising three members that included two members of the first committee, who distanced themselves from the committee due to personal reasons, resulting in the first committee to dissolve.

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After dissolution of the first committee, Awan said, a second committee was constituted “but the terms of reference of the committee are violative of the observation of the Supreme Court as well as order passed by the IHC”.

Awan said the committee constituted by the ECP didn’t bother to read the orders passed by superior courts and shared all confidential documents with Akbar, adding Akbar made all the proceedings of the committee public via his social media accounts.

While referring to the IHC’s order passed on September 7, 2017, Awan said the court had ruled that “the Election Commission of Pakistan shall not share the details of the source of foreign funding of the PTI with any other individuals — including respondent No 2 [Akbar] till a final decision of this petition.”

In addition, Awan said Akbar’s participation in the proceedings of the committee “is sheer violation of the guideline of the Supreme Court”.

He said Akbar did not come with clean hand because he approached the ECP after his expulsion from the party and “[Akbar] is not free from malice, ill will and just aimed to harass the petitioner”.

ECP forms new panel to scrutinise PTI accounts

Awan maintained that the impugned order is based on mala fide intents and is not passed in a transparent manner.

He added that Khan, in compliance of the IHC’s order, submitted all documents before the ECP.

The petitioner prayed the court set aside the ECP’s March 12 order and declared the committee proceedings “void, unlawful and without lawful authority against the Constitution and law on the subject in the interest of justice”.

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