ISLAMABAD: Repercussions of foreign funding allegations levelled against ruling PTI by PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz may backfire as PML-N and PPP face the same charges in cases pending in the ECP.
Earlier on Thursday, Maryam lashed out at PTI and said "Foreign funding case against PTI might be the longest pending case in Pakistan's history. But this government cannot hide from reality despite the fact that this fake government is pressurising ECP. There is irrefutable evidence of getting foreign funding against these rulers and their government."
A senior ECP official told Business Recorder, the perception that foreign funding Case can create problems for PTI alone is not correct.
"This case is pending against three main political parties and any political party found guilty of foreign funding will have to face the music," he said.
The official said the term 'foreign funding' should not be mistakenly defined as financial contributions from overseas Pakistanis. "All major political parties have overseas Pakistani supporters and well-wishers who support them through donations and other financial contributions.
This is not foreign funding. Foreign funding implies that a political party is receiving financial support from a foreign country or entity to serve its interests in Pakistan," the source said adding that if a political party justifies that it received donations or contributions from overseas Pakistanis through legal channels then it cannot be proceeded against under any law of Pakistan.
He said the three-member scrutiny committee probing Foreign Funding Case had submitted its report into the case to Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on August 27 this year but the ECP rejected this report as incomplete since the report did not fix responsibility of receiving foreign funding on any of the three political parties - Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People's Party (PPP).
The ECP then directed the committee to start afresh its probe and submit the report on October 22, 2020, but scrutiny committee failed to meet this deadline. The ECP has now asked the committee to submit report 'at the earliest' without giving any deadline considering the complexity of the case, the source said.
It is hoped that the report would be ready by March 31 next year, he added. Scrutiny committee would hear Foreign Funding Case on 24th of this month, it is learnt.
Pakistan's electoral laws allow political parties to receive donations or contributions from individuals but receiving any kind of financial support from foreign governments or entities is prohibited.
Section 6(3) of Political Parties Order 2002 reads, "Any contribution made, directly or indirectly, by any foreign government, multi-national or domestically-incorporated public or private company, firm, trade or professional association shall be prohibited and the parties may accept contributions and donations only from individuals."
If any political party is found guilty of receiving foreign funding or being foreign-aided, then there are disastrous implications for it and its leadership. But the final decision on deciding whether a political party is foreign funded rests with Supreme Court.
Section 15 of Political Parties Order 2002 reads, "(1) Where the Federal Government is satisfied that a political party is a foreign-aided party or has been formed or is operating in a manner prejudicial to the sovereignty or integrity of Pakistan or is indulging in terrorism, it shall make such declaration by a notification in the official Gazette.
(2) Within fifteen days of making a declaration under clause (1), the Federal Government shall refer the matter to the Supreme Court whose decision on such reference shall be final.
(3) Where the Supreme Court upholds the declaration made against a political party under clause (1), such party shall stand dissolved forthwith."
Section 16 of the same Order provides that the members of political party dissolved for being foreign-aided would be disqualified from their memberships of Parliament and provincial assemblies for their remaining terms.
They would be disqualified from participating in election for any elective office or any legislative body till the expiry of four years from the date of their disqualification.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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