Show-cause notice in funding case: ECP gives PTI six more weeks to file reply

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday gave six more weeks to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to respond to the show cause notice issued to it in the prohibited/foreign funding case.

PTI’s counsel Shah Khawar appeared before the ECP bench and sough eight weeks for a comprehensive response to the show-cause notice, saying that ten-year-old record was being brought from abroad. The commission had decided to issue the show cause in its judgment, announced on August 2 in the foreign funding case.

Shah Khawar claimed that many Pakistani citizens had been mentioned to be foreigners in the ECP order in the case. He added even the USA PTI had been declared as a foreign company. To this, Chief Election Commissioner remarked that a company registered abroad would be a foreign company.

In this connection, he then referred to the main case which remained pending for eight years due to adjournments sought by PTI and refused to give more than four weeks, but on the insistence of Shah Khawar, he adjourned the hearing till November 6.