PTI foreign funding case: PDM hands over memorandum to ECP today

ISLAMABAD: The leaders of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) will hand over a memorandum on Wednesday to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) demanding it immediately announce decision in the foreign funding case against the ruling PTI, which is pending for the last over six years.

According to the PDM leaders, the memorandum, which was to be presented to the ECP on Tuesday, would now be handed over to the Commission on Wednesday.

Through the memorandum, the PDM leadership pointed out that the PTI, in a correspondence with the ECP in January, 2021, had already confessed receiving foreign funding while the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) had also provided solid evidence with documents to the Commission. “In view of these facts, there is no need for further investigation in the case,” the memorandum said.

The PDM leaders also demanded the ECP provide petitioner, all documents including written document from the PTI and details of 23 secret accounts of the PTI as provided by the SBP to the Commission. “All this record should also be made public,” the memorandum said. The PDM also demands the ECP that in order to ensure transparency, the proceedings should not be kept in-camera and the same should be open to the PDM leaders and the media. The PDM observes that keeping proceedings secret was against the ECP own directives.

While drawing attention of the ECP to life threats being given to the petitioner Akbar S Babar, the PDM demanded issuance of directives for provision of proper security to him till announcement of the verdict. “If any harm caused to petitioner, the responsibility shall lie with Imran Khan,” they said.

The PDM leadership said the issue of country’s security and sovereignty, which involves foreign funding from enemies like India and Israel, should not be delayed. “Causing delay in announcement of decision in such a sensitive case while ensuring transparency, reflects deviation on the part of the ECP from its constitutional duties,” the memorandum said.

The memorandum bears signatures of representative leaders of 11 PDM parties including Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Sardar Akhtar Mengal, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Sajid Mir, Owais Noorani and others.