Prohibited funding case: IHC accepts PTI’s petition, sends pre-admission notice to ECP

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday accepted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) petition against the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) fact-finding report in the prohibited funding case and issued a pre-admission notice to ECP.

The notice urged the ECP to decide on the admissibility of the petition filed by PTI against the prohibited funding case ruling.

A five-member bench of IHC further adjourned the hearing till August 24 and the ECP is due to present its arguments on that date.

Prohibited funding case: IHC forms larger bench to hear PTI's petition against ECP

On August 16, IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq formed a larger bench to hear PTI’s petition against ECP and adjourned the hearing till Thursday.

While representing PTI on Tuesday’s hearing, Barrister Anwar Mansoor and Faisal Chaudhry told Farooq that PTI challenged ECP’s fact finding report because disclosure of party’s accounts was not necessary due to certain reasons.

“The money went to accounts of provincial governments hence there was no need for a money trail,” he said. Mansoor held the view that show-cause notice should not be issued to PTI.

Prohibited funding case: PTI challenges ECP’s fact-finding report

On August 2, a three-member bench of ECP announced that PTI received prohibited funding and kept 13 bank accounts hidden.

"Data obtained from the SBP reveals that all the 13 accounts disowned by PTI were opened and operated by the senior PTI management and leadership at the Central and Provincial levels.

PTI received prohibited funding, says ECP

On August 11, PTI Additional Secretary General Omar Ayub, moved the petition through advocates, Anwar Mansoor Khan, Shah Khawar and Faisal Fareed, urging the court to declare ECP’s decision dated August 2 illegal.

He stated that the ECP is a constitutional administrative body created for carrying out fair and free elections and for purposes as required under the constitution and the statutes.

The PTI contended that the ECP has passed the impugned fact-finding report based on incorrect facts, flawed application of law, beyond its jurisdiction and in an unreasonable, irrational, bias manner.