Party funding case
CEC says he curses politics; tells PTI counsel
he alone is enough to spread bias and asks him
not to waste commission’s precious time
ISLAMABAD: PTI Chairman Imran Khan on Monday tendered an unconditional apology to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for making “contentious remarks” in a review application filed with the commission while refusing to submit the party’s financial accounts.
During hearing of the PTI's foreign funding case before the full bench, headed by the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Justice (retd) Sardar Muhammad Raza, the bench took an exception to Imran’s remarks alleging ‘bias’ in favour of the petitioner for ‘extraneous reasons, including political.’
Imran filed the review application on January 9, 2017 against the ECP’s December 1, 2016 order, seeking production of the PTI’s financial documents. His lawyer submitted the written apology.
In the review application signed by Imran, he had accused the commission of acting on political bias while ordering production of bank statements and other financial documents. He had demanded that the ECP should set aside its order and adjourn the case sine die until such time as the Islamabad High Court decides on the PTI writ petition challenging the ECP’s jurisdiction to scrutinise the PTI accounts.
The CEC rubbished the contemptuous PTI review application and stated that the ‘PTI should not play games with the ECP, as nobody would be allowed to play politics with ECP.’
Expressing displeasure at the review petition, the CEC said: “I curse politics. You alone are enough to spread bias.” He asked the counsel not to waste the commission’s precious time.
He said the ECP had already delayed hearings for one reason or the other at the PTI’s requests for over a year but they accused the ECP of bias. He said the ECP would decide action on the PTI’s contemptuous application after a written apology was filed and the application withdrawn.
The petitioner’s counsel, Syed Ahmed Hasan, argued that the application carrying Imran Khan’s signatures was highly contemptuous, showing utter disregard for the commission. “We have waited patiently for over two years despite the delaying tactics by the PTI."
He strongly urged the ECP not to ignore the contemptuous review application and proceed against the respondents. He said the ECP's order to produce financial documents was a fact finding exercise that had nothing to do with the question of jurisdiction of the ECP to hear the case, a matter pending with the Islamabad High Court.
Hassan said the PTI must provide the financial documents, or the ECP should invoke its powers to seek the information directly from the financial institutions. Earlier, the ECP questioned another lawyer who had not completed the legal formalities to represent the PTI. This is the third time that the PTI has been represented by a new lawyer in the foreign funding case.
Before the bench adjourned the hearing, the PTI lawyer, after seeking instructions from his client, submitted a handwritten unconditional apology and withdrawal of the review application filed by Imran. The ECP adjourned the hearing until January 24, 2017 for ‘compliance’ of the order to produce financial documents.
Talking to the media outside the ECP, the petitioner and former central vice president of PTI Akbar S. Babar said the PTI’s refusal to submit documents was a vindication of all his allegations of corruption, money laundering and illegal funding, otherwise what stops PTI and Imran Khan from complying with the ECP orders.
Sabah adds: Meanwhile, the ECP dismissed a disqualification petition against the PTI Chairman Imran Khan, as the petitioner failed to attend the hearing. The petitioner, Hashim Ali Bhutta, said the PTI leader had not mentioned his Bani Gala residence and London flats in his assets declaration and in this way he had failed to abide by articles 62 and 63 of the Constitution.
The ECP had earlier dismissed the same petition filed by Bhutta but it was later restored after reconsideration. The ECP, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retd) Sardar Muhammad Raza Khan, heard the reference seeking disqualification of Imran Khan.
