PTI foreign funding case: ECP gives last chance to PTI for arguments

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan on Tuesday said the decision on a show cause notice issued to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf on the forfeiture of its prohibited funding, proved in the foreign funding case, will be issued on the basis of available records, if it failed to present arguments on June 6.

A three-member commission bench, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, resumed hearing in the show cause notice, which was served on the PTI through its Chairman Imran Khan on the basis of the commission’s unanimous judgment announced on August 2 last year.

The PTI has not been able to give its arguments on the show cause notice. Under the law, the commission has to serve a show-cause notice prior to the confiscation of funding, if found to have been received through prohibited sources. The commission had found such funding on the basis of bank accounts record of the PTI, which included firms and individuals.

At the very outset of the hearing, PTI’s assistant counsel Naveed Anjum appeared before the ECP bench and requested an adjournment of the hearing. The chief election commissioner reminded him that the bench had fixed the date as per their wish and that last time also, the date of the hearing was decided on the desire of counsel Anwar Mansoor.

PTI’s assistant lawyer replied that the main counsel was busy with the Sindh High Court. “No one will spare time to appear before the election commission, whereas the case started on August 22 and is still going on. Even after 10 months, the hearing could not start,” regretted Raja. He contended that this would not continue like this, adding that this process had to be stopped somewhere. He said the commission was giving the last chance to the PTI lawyer to argue in relation to the notice and if he couldn’t appear in person, he should at least submit a reply.

“Thousands of PTI workers were arrested after May 9 incidents, all PTI office-bearers are in hiding while PTI offices have been closed due to fear of raids,” the assistant counsel said.

In response, the chief election commissioner said that in this way, the hearing had to be postponed till after the next general elections.

He pointed out that the commission had already given the verdict in the main case and if the arguments were not given at the next hearing, the commission would give the verdict on the basis of available records. The hearing was adjourned till June 6.