SC issues notice to Akbar Babar in PTI foreign funding case

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) Thursday issued notice to Akbar S Babar and sought reply on Prime Minister Imran Khan’s appeal regarding the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) foreign funding case.

A three-member SC bench comprising Justice Mushir Alam, Justice Yahya Afridi and Justice Sardar Tariq Masood accepted the prime minister’s petition on scrutiny of foreign funding for the political parties.

During the course of proceedings, Imran Khan’s lawyer, Anwar Mansoor Khan, argued that there was no objection to the scrutiny committee of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). He said Akbar S Babar had filed the case after expulsion from the party.

The ECP did not have the power to declare Akbar Babar a party member, he added. He said the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had also upheld the ECP decision.

It was up to the civil court to decide who was a party member and who was not, while the ECP was neither a court nor a tribunal, he added.

He said his client had objection on Akbar Babar’s participation in the scrutiny committee. However, there was no objection on the scrutiny committee and it was doing its job.

Justice Mushir Alam asked when Akbar S Babar was expelled from the party.

The counsel replied that Akbar Babar was expelled from the PTI on Sept 26, 2011. The proceedings of the scrutiny committee should be in-camera, he added.

The counsel for Akbar Babar objected that the notice of expulsion from the party was not presented at any forum.

Justice Yahya Afridi asked him to submit a written reply. Later, the hearing of the case was adjourned till date in office.