Nawaz urges govt to ‘immediately take action against Imran’ after ECP verdict

PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday urged the coalition government, led by his younger brother Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, to “immediately” take legal action against former premier Imran Khan after the ECP verdict in the PTI prohibited funding case.

“There is no doubt left after this [ECP] report that he [Imran Khan] was enforcing the foreign agenda in the country,” he said while speaking to reporters in London.

Earlier in the day, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ruled that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf received 'prohibited funds' from 34 foreign nationals and 351 companies based outside the country.

The party was issued a show cause notice after the unanimous verdict — reserved in June earlier this year – by the three-member bench of the ECP headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikander Sultan Raja.

"The Commission directs that a notice may be issued to the Respondent party [PTI] in terms of Rule-6 of PPR 2002, as to why the aforementioned prohibited funds may not be confiscated. The office is also directed to initiate any other action under the law, in light of this order of the Commission," stated the 68-page judgement - a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune.

Referring to the decision, the PML-N supremo said the ECP verdict was based on “concrete evidence and facts”.

“The one [Imran] who calls others a coward and a bandit turned out to be the biggest thief himself in the country’s history,” he added.

Also read: ECP says PTI received 'prohibited funds' from 34 foreign nationals

Nawaz — the three-time former prime minister who has been living in London since November 2019 on medical grounds — said Imran had been demanding the chief election commissioner's resignation because the PTI chairman knew that he had committed the “country’s biggest robbery”.

“Imran Khan was declared Sadiq [truthful] and Ameen [righteous] on the basis of fake documents,” he remarked.

The former premier while recalling his ouster from power in 2017 said his then government was taking the country towards progress but the Imran-led regime “destroyed the economy and reversed all gains”.

He also hit out at former apex court judges who ruled against him in the famous Panama Papers case, saying former chief justice Saqib Nisar and others will also be held accountable for the bringing the country to this point.

Referring to his conviction by the top court, Nawaz said it happened for the first time in the country’s history that a prime minister was disqualified “for not receiving a salary from his son”.

“Imran Khan’s fitna [mischief] must be ended forever. Political parties should also play their role in it... it is becoming difficult to rebuild Pakistan after four years of destruction,” he added.