ECP to hold daily hearings in foreign funding case against PTI

Also summons PML-N, PPP in case alleging their receipt of illicit UK funds

ISLAMABAD: The hearing of the foreign funding case against the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is to be conducted on a daily basis by the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) Scrutiny Committee, which is investigating the case, starting today (Tuesday).

The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) are to also appear before the committee. Akbar S. Babar, the petitioner in the case against the PTI, has alleged that the ruling party had received funding from sources abroad and that it had declared only eight of the 23 accounts it operated. Over the past one year, the ECP’s scrutiny committee set up for the case has held 40 hearings.

The PPP and the PML-N are also now being probed by the Commission and have been served notices to appear before the committee at different times, the PML-N having been called at 12: 30pm and the PPP at 2 pm. PTI Parliamentary Secretary Farrukh Habib had filed a petition accusing the two parties of receiving illicit funding from the United Kingdom (UK).



The ECP’s decision to hold daily hearings was taken after the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had filed a petition against Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) for Information and Broadcasting Firdous Ashiq Awan in the Commission. The petition had accused the PTI government of pressuring the ECP in the foreign funding case against it and alleged that the SAPM’s press conferences, a transcript of which had been attached with the application, were tantamount to threatening the electoral body.

It had also asked the Commission to summon Firdous Ashiq Awan for an explanation of her statement implying that the ECP’s conduct of the foreign funding case was not above board. The petition had also named the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) as a defendant.

Speaking to reporters after submitting the application, PML-N counsel Jahangir Jadoon accused the PTI of using delaying tactics in the foreign funding case and criticized the ruling party’s leaders and ministers for ‘levelling allegations against the ECP in a bid to bring it under pressure to serve their party’s interests’.

Meanwhile, on a petition filed by the PTI alleging concealment of assets in tax returns filed by PPP Member of Provincial Assembly (MPA) Faryal Talpur, the ECP has summoned a reply in the matter by December 9.