Foreign funding case: ECP asks PTI to submit reply on Dec 24

Scrutiny committee starts compiling report in funding case

ISLAMABAD: A committee of the polls supervisory body has started compiling its report on alleged foreign funding of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and asked the party to submit its reply to the allegation on December 24.

The Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) scrutiny committee on Thursday held hearing of the foreign funding case – filed against the PTI in 2014 by a disgruntled member of the party Akbar S Babar – and reviewed the evidence submitted by the PTI in its support.

Advocate Shah Khawar appeared before the committee on behalf of the ruling party while Akbar S Babar and his counsel was also present at the hearing. Later, the panel summoned the PTI’s counsel again on Dec 24, when the party would answer to the objections raised by Babar and the committee.

Talking to media after the hearing, Babar expressed disappointment over what he called “lack of progress” in the case which has been pending decision for over five years.



He said the PTI government had made the ECP ‘nonfunctional’ by delaying appointment of the chief election commissioner (CEC) and two provincial members of the polls body.

Babar said if the ECP was not made functional soon he would approach a high court or the apex court.

“The ECP is nonfunctional and the government is responsible for this constitutional crisis. It is also responsibility of the opposition to play its role in making the ECP functional once again.”

He said he expected that the PTI would reply to his claims but the party failed to submit its answer and now it is seeking record of its answers from the ECP.

“As a Pakistani citizen, I have the right to demand accountability of a political party. Why the institutions have not yet fulfilled their constitutional responsibility?” he asked.