PTI is expected to debate Akbar S. Babar’s plea on foreign financing today

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Paramilitary soldiers stand guard outside the Pakistan Election Commission building in Islamabad on August 2, 2022.  -AFP
Paramilitary soldiers stand guard outside the Pakistan Election Commission building in Islamabad on August 2, 2022. -AFP
  • PTI was given notice last year to justify why no further legal action should be taken against it.
  • PTI had filed a new application demanding cross-examination of key witnesses.
  • Babar called it another desperate attempt by PTI to further delay the case.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is expected to give its arguments on Akbar S Babar’s – the founding member of the party – appeal under the Political Parties Order 2002 on the issue of foreign funding, The news reported Wednesday.

A three-member bench, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, will hear the application filed by the former PTI Central Information Secretary after he communicated the show cause to the party through Chairman Imran Khan last year.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) issued the verdict on August 2, 2022, documenting financial fraud and more than $7 million in illegal funding, and as required by law, issued a show reason to the PTI in August 2022 to justify why there was no further legal action should be taken against him for gross financial irregularities.

However, instead of responding to the show’s cause, the PTI had filed a fresh application demanded the cross-examination of key witnesses. The new cross-examination demand is in stark contrast to PTI’s position over the eight years of the case, claiming that the ECP is not a “court” and that the proceedings can only be inquisitorial and adversarial.

“The committee will issue its order on the application filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf for the cross-examination of those who appeared before the committee at the hearing on prohibited foreign financing over the years (which was filed by Babar in November). 2014),” said a senior commission official The news here.

He pointed out that the PTI lawyers had previously resisted cross-examination and now wanted to opt for it and so had filed an application in court a few months ago.

In response to the filing, Babar had claimed during his media call that this was yet another desperate attempt by the PTI to further delay the case while they were required to respond to the show cause provided to the party several months ago.

The commission had rendered its verdict in the case of prohibited foreign financing on August 2 last year and unanimously ruled that the PTI had indeed received prohibited financing. It then sent the party a message asking why the money could not be seized.

After a long series of hearings and examination of bank records, the commission found that the PTI had received funding from banned sources: the party received money from 34 foreigners and 351 companies based abroad; it took possession of eight accounts, concealed 13 and left three unlisted.

Accordingly, a message was sent to the PTI to explain why funds should not be seized, while form 1 submitted by party leader Imran Khan was found to be grossly inaccurate.

The verdict stated that the party “knowingly” received funding from Wootton Cricket Limited, managed by business magnate Arif Naqvi; the party was a “willing recipient” of banned money worth $2,121,500.

In addition, the committee had said that the party also “knowingly” received donations from Bristol Engineering Services (a UAE-based company), E-Planet Trustees (a privately registered company in the Cayman Islands), SS Marketing Manchester (a UK based private company), PTI USA LLC-6160 and PTI USA LLC-5975, which “were affected by a ban and in violation of Pakistani laws”.

Separately, before March 28, the commission also set five cases against Imran, General Secretary Asad Umar and Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry for contempt of the commission and chief election commissioner.

Earlier, on March 7, the commission issued arrest warrants for the PTI chairman and Fawad in the contempt case of CEC Raja for “deliberately seeking a stay of the case, amounting to the mockery of the law”. However, these were suspended by the Lahore High Court (LHC) on 13 March.

A four-member bench of the commission, led by the commission member from Sindh, Nisar Ahmed Durrani, had heard the matter here and issued the warrant issuance order for Imran and instructed him to submit two bail bonds of Rs 50,000 each. The Inspector General of Police, Islamabad, had been instructed to carry out the orders by March 14.

The commission had informed Umar and Fawad of the use of excessive language against the commission and the chief election commissioner last year. In particular, Imran and Fawad also received derogatory notices to the Chief Election Commissioner.

In response to the development, Fawad had called the ECP order in contempt of the LHC orders and stated that he would subpoena the commission before the Supreme Court. However, during these days, the hearing on the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party election case, which was previously delisted on March 13, a day before the hearing was due to take place, has not been set.

Earlier, on January 12, the committee had given the ruling party more time to do the necessary by March 14, as the bank, led by the CEC, had given it two months. At the beginning of the proceedings, PML-N lawyer Ahsan Jahangir told the court that the intra-party elections could not be held due to the pressing commitments of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif (the party chairman), who had been busy with a number of responsibilities since I became Prime Minister have become.

The bank had observed that why the election symbol assigned to the party would not be withdrawn for non-compliance with the legal requirement. The Chief Election Commissioner had even remarked that someone who was so busy that he couldn’t hold party elections shouldn’t be party chairman.

It is relevant that PML-N polls within the party were supposed to take place on March 22 last year, but at the request of the party, the committee had extended the date and allowed it to hold the exercise no later than May 14 and issue the corresponding certificate no later than to be submitted on May 14. May 21, but the PML-N had not conducted the poll.

After issuing the show’s final announcements to Prime Minister Shehbaz and PML-N Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal in November 2022, the bank assured that internal party polls would be conducted by the end of the year. On January 5, the party was given another deadline in this regard, otherwise it would be deprived of its election symbol.

Section 208 of the 2017 Elections Act requires political parties to elect officeholders at the federal, provincial and local levels, where applicable, periodically in accordance with their respective constitutions.



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