Foreign funding: PTI expects ECP to scrutinise PML-N, PPP in same way

The ruling party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said on Wednesday that it expects Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to scrutinize the foreign funds of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) the same way it scrutinized the funds of the PTI.

This was stated by Parliamentary Secretary Farrukh Habib while speaking at a new conference a day before the ECP resumes hearing of foreign funding case and claimed that both former ruling parties are unwilling to share details of their parties' funding with the ECP.

"The matter is before the ECP and we are hoping that it will write to State Bank of Pakistan and other relevant organizations to obtain details of their (PML-N and PPP) funding," he said. He further stated that the ECP has formed a scrutiny committee and both the parties are required to submit their responses to the committee to questionnaires handed out to them with regard to foreign funding.

Habib also claimed that PML-N and PPP have been denying their presence abroad but they are in fact registered in the United Kingdom (UK) and the United States (US). He alleged that Pakistan Peoples Party during its tenure from 2008-2013 utilized a total of around five million dollars from taxpayers' money to make payment to the lobbyists in the United States (US) who had managed National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) for the party from the then military ruler General Pervez Musharraf (retd).

He said when these parties are asked to provide identity cards and identity of those who have been funding these parties, they argue that ECP does not have the right to ask this question from them and are not giving details of the funds received in their parties' accounts.

He said the ECP had given two-week time to both the parties to submit details of their foreign funding, adding the government expects from the Commission that it would fulfill its legal and constitutional responsibilities.

The ECP decided to resume the hearing of foreign funding case related to PTI, PML-N and PPP on November 26. So far, the PTI has submitted with the ECP the documentary evidence of the donations it has received from overseas Pakistanis including details of LCC account, recipients of bank transactions, name, CNICs and addresses of donors and related material. However, the PML-N and PPP are yet to submit any documentary evidence. A three-member Scrutiny Committee of the ECP is hearing the case.