ECP is 'incomplete', objects PTI lawyer

During foreign funding case hearing, counsel points out two of electoral body’s members have not been appointed yet

ISLAMABAD:

The PTI lawyer on Tuesday appeared before the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in the foreign funding case and raised the objection that the board of the electoral body was incomplete as two of its members could not be appointed as of yet.

During the hearing, Anwar Mansoor argued that as per the Election Act 2017, the commission’s strength must be complete.

A three-member bench, headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Raja, heard the case.

The lawyer for the petitioner, PTI’s estranged founding member Akbar S Babar, told the ECP bench that the Islamabad High Court had rejected the request to separate his client from the case.

He also read out the IHC’s verdict before the commission, saying that if foreign funding was proven, it would affect both the PTI and its chairman.

In response, the PTI counsel said the observation given by the high court was unfortunate as the order also included the points on which arguments had not been given.

Read Allegation of 'illicit funding' wrong, PTI lawyer tells ECP

The CEC pointed out that the high court had directed to decide the matter within 30 days.

To this, the PTI counsel replied that when he had started arguments in a case, he did not leave it incomplete.

The lawyer representing the petitioner pointed out that the objection over the strength of the ECP board was raised earlier as well but was rejected.

Mansoor told him that he had not raised the objection to stop the proceedings of the case.

The PTI counsel further contended that dual nationals were permitted under the country’s law to fund political parties.

He added that the Political Parties Order allowed funding from foreign companies. “A case pertaining to illicit funding could take place even from inside the country.”

The PTI counsel said the documents provided by the ECP's scrutiny committee to the petitioner were not bona fide, adding that Babar had talked out of context on the matter during his interactions with the media.

He added that the case against the PTI pertained to the period between 2009 and 2013. “The TORs [terms of reference] submitted to the scrutiny committee only mentioned foreign funding and the committee could only have probed the foreign funding in case of such allegations.”

The PTI lawyer told the bench that he had already informed the commission about his unavailability from April 20, adding that he would complete his arguments in the case in three days.

Subsequently, the hearing was adjourned till next week after his arguments. The ECP said it would hold proceedings for three consecutive days in the coming week.

Later while speaking to the media outside the ECP office, PTI senior leader and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi urged the commission to summon other political parties in their respective cases as well.

He maintained that the PTI was not scared but other parties should also be summoned to face relevant cases.

He added the claim of foreign funding against the PTI did not hold water and all funds were legal.

He further said the scrutiny committee in charge of the case against the party had “extended its mandate”.

“Our record is clean,” he claimed.

He further said overseas Pakistanis also supported the PTI.