Foreign funding case: ECP decision to prove PTI govt legitimacy, says Nawaz

LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif has said a decision in foreign funding case involving the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf will prove the legitimacy of the PTI government and supremacy of the Constitution in the country.

In a video statement, issued on the social media on Saturday, he said there was no doubt Prime Minister Imran Khan was "a criminal", adding that he was now shifting the blame on the agents, managing two US companies registered on the latter's orders in the PTI foreign funding case.

"Why is the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) not taking action when the evidence is clear-cut?" he questioned, claiming that the nation "is protesting against the ECP negligence in fulfilling its constitutional duties". He said the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) would protest in front of the ECP office in Islamabad on Jan 19 (today), urging people to join the opposition’s march and to save the country from “injustice”.

Nawaz Sharif was referring to a PTI written reply to a questionnaire, given by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) scrutiny committee.

Nawaz said the “clear and straightforward” case had been pending with the ECP for the past six years. A decision had not been taken because it concerned Imran Khan and the PTI, instead of Nawaz Sharif and the PML-N, he added.

Nawaz also highlighted the alleged differences in the way he was treated and how the foreign funding case was being treated. “You must remember the haste in which matters proceeded to oust me, an elected premier. The judge of the Supreme Court constituted a joint investigation team (JIT) via Whatsapp which included representatives from the intelligence agencies.

“And then the way in which the JIT was told to submit a report in 60 days. Then the haste with which the verdict was issued in the Panama case, and [on the basis of an Iqama] a prime minister was dismissed. You remember this, right?”

The PML-N supremo said that the accountability court was also directed to issue a decision in six months while the tenure of judge Mohammad Bashir was also extended.

“But this is one side of the picture. Let’s look at the other side.” He said that on the other side, a case was filed in 2014 by a founding member of the PTI, and there had been 70 hearings so far.

“Imran Khan, the man wearing the medal and shouting the slogan of sadiq and ameen, who did not tire when saying that accountability should begin with him [...] has now become the biggest obstacle to justice.”

He alleged that the prime minister was using delaying tactics and ignoring the directions of the ECP.

“In March 2018, the ECP had formed a scrutiny committee and directed that a report be submitted in one month. Approximately two-and-a-half years later,

there is still no report,” Nawaz said.

“Finally in his seventh year, Imran Khan has accepted that things have gone awry when it comes to foreign funding. But he has put the responsibility of this on his agents and said that they must have done this,” the PML-N supremo said, alluding to the PTI’s response to the ECP.

“There are two companies registered in the US under Imran Khan’s directives and were running under his eye,” he claimed. Nawaz added that the State Bank of Pakistan had given the ECP information about 23 accounts, 15 of which the premier hid and did not include in the report given to the commission.

“He did not disclose the total amount, the source, and did not give a money trail or receipts,” Nawaz said, adding that the nation wanted to know how the money was accumulated and where it went.

“If there is no corruption, then why was it hidden? Do these suspect accounts not come under the crime of money laundering? Where is the money trail? And why is the information not being given to the ECP and to the people?” he asked.