Sindh Assembly urges ECP to announce foreign funding case verdict

Resolution, moved by PPP MPA Sadia Javed, was signed by more than a dozen lawmakers

KARACHI:

As the coalition government in the centre reiterates its demand to announce the verdict of the foreign funding case, Sindh Assembly on Friday adopted a resolution demanding the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to immediately make public the final verdict of the case.

The resolution was moved by PPP MPA Sadia Javed and signed by more than one dozen party lawmakers. Speaking on the resolution, the ruling party MPAs criticised the former prime minister Imran Khan for creating hurdles in the case by mounting pressure on the ECP to not issue the verdict.

"The foreign funding case has remained pending for eight years before the ECP and has been delayed on one pretext or the other. The indecision poses a further risk to our national security since the foreign powers through such funds are in a position to influence the political discourse of our country," the resolution said, adding that there are sufficient pieces of evidence showing that the PTI got funds from Indians and Israelis to run political campaigns in Pakistan.

Read more: Ruling coalition pushes for announcement of verdict in PTI foreign funding case

As per the laws of Pakistan, funds received from foreign governments and multinational corporations are deemed as "foreign funding". Leading British newspaper the Financial Times, in its report, also disclosed complete details of how the PTI received funds in the name of charity and later utilised them for political purposes.

Labour Minister Saeed Ghani while speaking on the issue said: "Imran Khan used to behave like the holy cow claiming that not a single penny corruption charges are against him. He and his party presented false information regarding the funding to the ECP. No one else but the State Bank of Pakistan has exposed how they have received the money from foreign nationals and companies," he said.

Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon, while referring to the report, said Imran Khan took money from Israel and India, adding that two companies in the name of Imran Khan were established in the US where millions of dollars worth amount were transferred from different countries.

"The amount is never transferred to Pakistan," he claimed. He was of the view that President Arif Alvi, former National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser and former Sindh Governor Imran Ismail were among others who used to operate the foreign accounts.

Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Shah drew the parallel between Imran Khan and Adolf Hitler and said that Hitler was a fascist ruler who pushed the world into World War.

It may be noted that the case had been filed by Akbar S Babar, who is a dissident but a founding member of the PTI, and has been pending since November 14, 2014.

Babar had alleged serious financial irregularities in the party's funding from Pakistan and abroad.

Earlier in June, the electoral watchdog had listed the foreign funding case under ‘prohibited funding’ and reserved its judgement a week later.

The renewed vigour in the ruling coalition’s demand has come as it suffered a heavy blow in the Punjab by-poll upset and subsequent Punjab chief minister’s election.