ECP may approach SBP after PTI fails to submit financial documents, IHC told

Imran-led party couldn't submit documents in foreign funding case despite repeated orders from ECP

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is contemplating to seek the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) financial statements from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) after the Imran Khan-led party failed to produce these despite court orders, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) was told on Friday.

The single-judge bench today resumed hearing of the petition filed by PTI into the foreign funding case, requesting the high court to declare null and void a scrutiny by a committee of the ECP.

The court observed that in the absence of injunction or stay order against ongoing scrutiny of PTI accounts, the ECP was free to proceed in the matter in accordance with the law, including seeking documents from SBP.

The documents submitted during court proceedings included directives issued by ECP's scrutiny committee since April 3. The statements revealed that PTI failed to submit the required financial documents including bank statements for the period 2009-13 sought by the committee.



Subsequently, the committee passed an order that in case of non-compliance, the committee would resort to other means of data collection from relevant quarters i.e. SBP etc. to scrutinise funds received in the party's bank accounts.

After the court was informed that the counsel had not reviewed Akbar Babar's response submitted before the IHC, the bench adjourned the hearing until July 10.

This was the fourth such petition filed by PTI in the high court, seeking suspension of scrutiny of foreign funding by the ECP since the case was first filed in November 2014.

Despite holding several meetings in the last three months, ECP’s scrutiny committee has not made significant headway as PTI didn't submit financial documents.

Initially the committee was mandated to complete inquiry within one month of its inception. However, due to non-submission of the documents by PTI, the committee’s working period was extended till July 3.