PTI prohibited funding hearing postponed

PTI lawyers informed about de-listing of the hearing previously slated for Nov 7

ISLAMABAD:

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has deferred its hearing of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) prohibited funding case and de-listed the hearing which was supposed to take place on November 7.

According to a fresh cause list issued by the electoral watchdog on Sunday, the hearing has been de-listed which was slated for November 7 to give the former ruling party ‘a last chance’ to submit its reply to the commission’s show cause notice regarding confiscation.

The ECP has also informed the PTI lawyers about the de-listing of the case.

Meanwhile, the commission has also fixed for hearing the petition against Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in the foreign funding case.

The commission has asked the scrutiny committee to give its reply on the petitioned filed by PTI leader Farrukh Habib.

The chairman of the scrutiny committee will inform about the progress report on November 7.

It may be noted here that the Lahore High Court Saturday fixed a petition challenging FIA’s notice directing PTI chief  Imran Khan to appear before the watchdog on November 7 in a case relating to prohibited funding case.

LHC’s Justice Ali Zia Bajwa will hear Imran Khan’s plea against the FIA’s notice on November 7.

The FIA kicked off its probe against the PTI in August this year after the Election Commission of Pakistan had declared in its verdict that the party had indeed received illegal funding.

The case had been filed by PTI's founding but disgruntled member Akbar S Babar and had been pending since November 14, 2014.

The written order of the ECP stated that the political party had received illegal funds from foreign countries including the US, UAE, UK and Australia.