Opposition urges ECP to decide PTI funding case

ISLAMABAD: The joint opposition on Thursday urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to conclude and announce its judgement in the foreign funding case against the PTI. A delegation of the joint opposition, consisting of representatives from the PMLN, PPP, JUIF, ANP and BNP met Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja and also submitted a letter addressed to the Chief Election Commissioner demanding an early conclusion of the foreign funding case pending since November 14, 2014.

Alleging glaring financial irregularities, PTI’s founding member and ex-information secretary Akbar S Babar had filed the foreign funding case against his own party leadership. The letter says that the foreign funding case is a matter of national security, upholding the rule of law, democratic norms, and the neutrality and credibility of the Election Commission of Pakistan.

Through the letter, the joint opposition explained that, on January 4, 2022, the ECP Scrutiny Committee formed in March 2018 to complete scrutiny of PTI foreign funding in one month, had finally submitted its report after 95 hearings and nearly four years which was shared with both parties. The report that is based on eight volumes of record requisitioned through the State Bank of Pakistan proves that the PTI leadership indulged in gross violations of funding laws including allowing foreigners including Indian nationals and others, foreign companies, and millions of dollars and billions of rupees of funding without source and details, it added.

Meanwhile, the joint opposition leaders vehemently condemned what they called the uncivilized and filthy language used by Prime Minister Imran Khan against the country’s political leadership and said what respect a country would earn, having such kind of premier.

PMLN Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal alleged the PTI and Imran Khan had committed the biggest political fraud in the form of foreign funding, which was being used to sabotage the political system and trigger political instability.

He claimed billions of rupees were received from overseas Pakistanis, foreigners and foreign firms and anti-Pakistan sources in total disregard to the Constitution and trampling dozens of related laws. Ahsan Iqbal said after the PTI and Imran Khan stood exposed in foreign funding case, they moved the Election Commission against the PMLN and PPP to show that they were not the only ones, rather the two parties were also involved in foreign funding issues. However, he noted, despite having been asked by the Supreme Court, they failed to produce a single credible and verifiable evidence of illegal foreign funding against his party and challenged them to submit any evidence within seven days to the scrutiny committee.

PPP’s Faisal Karim Kundi demanded that the names of Imran Khan and his cabinet members and others be put on the ECL, as they would now try to flee the country but would not be allowed to do so because they had received funds even from Pakistan’s enemy countries to destabilise the political system in the country.

Mian Iftikhar Hussain of Awami National Party said they were all standing for rescuing the system reminding the ECP about the case, alleging Imran Khan and his party had destroyed the system.

Senator Kamran Murtaza of the JUI-Fazl pointed out that they wanted to make the Election Commission realize and others as well that a person complained about delay in dispensation of justice, but himself had filed dozens of writs and applications to delay the foreign funding case, pending for over seven years now.