Scrutiny of PML-N, PPP accounts to take 8 weeks, ECP told

Scrutiny committee head says lag in provision of record caused delay

ISLAMABAD:

The Election Commission of Pakistan was informed by its scrutiny committee head that the lag in concluding the foreign funding cases against the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and the Pakistan Peoples Party was delay on behalf of the parties in providing the relevant records.

A three-member bench, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, heard the progress of the cases against PML-N and PPP.

At the start of the hearing, the CEC said that scrutiny of the PML-N and the PPP accounts should be completed soon, as there was a possibility that the accounts of 17 more parties might have to be scrutinised. “The Political Finance Wing has investigated the accounts of 101 parties, of which the details of the accounts of 17 political parties are doubtful.”

The chief election commissioner inquired how much more time was needed to scrutinise the the accounts of the PML-N and the PPP?

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Ministry of Law and Justice Director General Muhammad Arshad, who is the head of the scrutiny committee, apprised the bench that the scrutiny of the PML-N and the PPP accounts would be conducted in eight weeks. “The delay in providing the relevant records has prolonged the period.”

Petitioner Farrukh Habib did not appear before the ECP. The CEC remarked that the absence of Habib should be marked.