Akbar S. Babar wants production of original documents for PTI scrutiny

ISLAMABAD: As perusal of PTI accounts continued on Friday for the fourth day, the petitioner, Akbar S. Babar, filed an application before the Election Commission of Pakistan to allow perusal of original documents instead of photocopies and ensure that all the documents were presented before the financial analysts for review.

It was learnt from sources while the perusal of PTI accounts by two financial analysts Arsalan Vardag and Mohammad Sohaib continued, Babar in his application detailed as to how allegedly the Scrutiny Committee deliberately tried to create hurdles in the perusal process.

The application narrated how the committee refused laptops, bringing printouts, sharing piecemeal documents and removing the only original PTI bank statements presented for perusal Monday on PTI verbal demands.

The application demands that all bank statements requisitioned by the State Bank of Pakistan must be allowed to be perused as banking transactions have revealed the existence of bank accounts hidden from the perusal process.

Babar listed the disruptive attitude of the PTI on whose frivolous objections, DG law passed directions to the detriment of a transparent perusal process.

Later, talking to the media, Babar said, “All we demand is perusal of original documents, review of all bank statements including the six international PTI bank accounts admitted by it and the details of funds received in front accounts of four PTI Central Office employees also admitted by PTI. Me and my team are proceeding with the perusal process under challenging circumstances in a limited timeframe of few days. Instead, in comparison, the committee tasked with scrutiny in March 2018, wasted three years without any probe or authentication of evidence. If the ECP cooperates, we are determined to conclude perusal in days”.

He contended that refusing to probe front accounts of PTI employees admittedly used for collecting donations from within Pakistan and abroad is primary evidence of the committee's policy of fact hiding instead of fact finding. “How can the ECP come to credible conclusions when incriminating facts are hidden from it and time is not far when shocking facts would come to light,” he claimed.