Foreign funding case: SC grants leave to appeal to PM’s petition against ECP

ISLAMABAD: The apex court granted leave to appeal to the petition of Prime Minister Imran Khan against Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) order in PTI foreign funding case.

A two-judge bench comprising Justice Mushir Alam and Justice Yahya Afridi on Thursday heard the case and issued notice to Akbar Sher Babar.

Anwar Mansoor, representing PM Imran Khan, said that his client has no objection on the scrutiny committee. He informed that the party had cancelled the membership of Akbar Babar, adding therefore the ECP does not have power to consider Babar as member of PTI.

The counsel informed the bench that Islamabad High Court had maintained the ECP order. He further contended that it is the jurisdiction of the civil court to determine who and who is not the member of a political party.

He submitted that his client objects to the appearance of Akbar Babar before scrutiny committee. Upon that Justice Mushir Alam inquired from the counsel when Babar was expelled from the party.

PTI counsel replied on 26th September, 2011. He pleaded that scrutiny committee proceedings should be held in-camera.

Akbar Babar argued that the PTI failed to provide expulsion notice at any forum. Justice Yahya Afridi told the counsel therefore they are issuing notice to Akbar Babar.

Babar is petitioner before the ECP. He had alleged that the audit into PTI accounts revealed that the ruling party had “six international bank accounts,” the details of which, he said, were undisclosed.

He had asked the committee to take up this matter with the diplomatic missions of the countries where these accounts were allegedly operating. The committee decided to also take up this matter in the next meeting.

The PTI has already strongly denied having received foreign funding in the personal bank accounts of its employees. The PTI had already submitted the entire record of all the 40,000 overseas donors to the Scrutiny Committee in Foreign Funding case.

The record including the details of donations from overseas Pakistanis including LCC (Life Cycle Costing) account, the names, addresses, computerised national identity card numbers and contact numbers of the overseas donors, the details of related bank transactions, relevant bank statements, and receipts of relevant financial activities were submitted by the PTI to the committee, according to an official of the ECP.

The case is adjourned date in office.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021