ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday rejected four applications filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) seeking secrecy during the scrutiny of its foreign funding sources.
A three-judge bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sardar Mohammad Raza also instructed the scrutiny committee to continue its work and instructed PTI representatives to appear before the committee on Oct 14.
PTI’s founding member Akbar S. Babar had filed the case in 2014, alleging that nearly $3 million in illegal foreign funds were collected through two offshore companies and that money was sent through illegal ‘hundi’ channels from the Middle East to accounts of ‘PTI employees’. He had also alleged that the foreign accounts used to collect funds were concealed from the annual audit reports submitted to the ECP.
A scrutiny committee was formed in March last year to complete an audit of PTI’s funding sources in one month. Its mandate was later extended for an indefinite period.
In a previous hearing on Oct 1, the ECP bench had reserved its verdict on PTI’s applications after listening to the arguments of the various parties to the case.
Related: ECP rejects petition seeking cancellation of PTI’s registration
Speaking to media after the verdict was announced, Babar said that the process of the scrutiny of PTI’s funding would be brought to its logical conclusion. He said that the funding case against PTI would reveal the true facts to people and clarified that he did not have any personal enmity with Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Dissident founding member of the PTI Babar had filed the foreign funding case before the ECP in 2014 after he developed differences with PTI Chairman Imran Khan over alleged internal corruption and abuse of laws governing political funding.
The petitioner and former PTI Central Vice President said the petition filed in November 2014 seeks findings on sources of PTI funds in all PTI bank accounts operated in and outside Pakistan, revealed or concealed before the ECP.
He said the details of accounts should include the 23 bank accounts all over Pakistan requisitioned by the State Bank of Pakistan that includes two PTI Lloyds bank accounts operated in the UK, one company registered in Australia with the title ‘Insaf Australia Incorporated’, two companies registered in the U.S. under the signatures of PTI Chairman Imran Khan besides funding details from Denmark, and the Middle East.
Akbar S. Babar stated that he has no personal enmity with PM Imran Khan. “We started this journey of reform together. It was only when I found that the PTI had deviated from its founding ideals that I challenged Imran Khan as my loyalty to Pakistan comes first”. He said until political parties first clean up their act and become transparent and accountable under the law, there can be no change in Pakistan.
He added that the last one year of PTI rule had proved his stance that without merit, accountability and transparency, political parties would remain a mere tool to climb the power ladder, lacking the capacity, competence, and commitment to deliver any good to society.
For over a year, the proceedings of the case were delayed in the ECP as the PTI had filed a writ petition in October 2015 in the Islamabad High Court seeking to restrain the ECP from scrutinising its accounts.
In February 2017, the IHC had remanded the case back to the ECP for a fresh review of its jurisdiction. On May 8 of the same year, a full bench of the ECP had once again declared its complete jurisdiction over the matter and stated that the PTI had failed to produce any evidence that the petitioner had been expelled from the party and hence lost the right to question the PTI’s accounts.
In March 2018, a scrutiny committee had been formed to look into PTI’s foreign funding accounts to ascertain any wrongdoing. (With additional input from INP)
