Imran Khan-led PTI under fire, Pak EC to begin daily hearing on foreign funding case

Islamabad [Pakistan], April 19 (ANI): The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will hear the foreign funding case against ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) every day starting from Tuesday, local media reported.
Pakistan High Court on Thursday had asked the ECP to decide on the foreign funding case filed against former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s PTI within a month, reported Dawn.
Justice Kayani, who had delivered the judgment, said that if PTI received the funding from any prohibited sources then it would affect its status, including that of chairman Imran Khan, so it becomes important to dig out the truth.
The HC issued the direction after it dismissed an appeal of the PTI against the ECP order, rejecting two PTI applications seeking dismissal of the foreign funding case. The appeal asked for disassociating petitioner Akbar S. Babar from the case and keeping the PTI documents secret.
The foreign funding case is pending since November 14, 2014, and it was filed by PTI founding member Akbar S Babar who had alleged that there were financial irregularities in the funding of the party from Pakistan and abroad.
The court said that ECP as a Constitutional body had the right to seek the assistance of Babar and come to conclusions based on the merits of the case.
The detailed order stated “no restriction can be imposed upon ECP to adopt any process of inquiry, investigation, scrutiny to reach out the mandate of assigned duty in terms of Article 17(3), read with enabling provisions of PPO 2002 as if any of the party funding has been received from prohibited sources, it would affect the status of such political party including its chairman,” reported the newspaper.
On January 4 this year, the ECP’s scrutiny committee submitted its report on the PTI’s foreign funding case after 95 hearings. The ECP’s committee was formed in March 2018. (ANI)