ISLAMABAD: The government said on Sunday that Pakistan Democratic Alliance (PDM) is now a history after playing almost all the cards, adding that it was trying to pressurise the institutions instead of submitting details of funding received by their political parties to the scrutiny committee of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

Speaking at a press conference, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz flanked by Farrukh Habib stated that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has submitted verified record of 4000 entries to the scrutiny committee of the ECP with names, addresses and telephone numbers of those who provided donation to the party. The Minister said that PDM is a history as it played all the cards and now the last one is, protest before the ECP. The sole objective of the opposition parties tomorrow’s protest is to bring the institutions under pressure and protest before the ECP would be the practical form of the threat Maulana Fazlur Rehman made after receiving National Accountability Bureau (NAB) notice.

Shibli Faraz further stated as per law all the political parties are required to submit their accounts to the scrutiny committee of the ECP but instead of submitting details, the opposition is staging a protest before ECP. He added that Pakistan People’s Party, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam instead of submitting proof of the funding with CNIC numbers of their donors to the ECP are asking about PTI.

He said that in the past these political parties when in power inflicted great harm to the institutions for their personal interests and appointed their own people at top of the ladder of these institutions to get the decisions of their own choice. There is one point agenda of the opposition parties and they have gathered at one platform to protect their corruption. The people of the country have rejected their protest campaign against the government and now they are coming to the ECP to stage a protest demonstration.

The Minister asked them to come today (Monday), a day of the hearing of their cases in the ECP, and submit details of their funding, instead of coming tomorrow (Tuesday). Submit details of the source of funding to their political parties to the scrutiny committee instead of hiding behind Jalsa (public gathering) and Jathas (gangs), the minister asked them.

Farrukh Habib said, “This is an open and shut case.” He added that political order making it mandatory on all the political parties to submit details of their accounts to the ECP before allocation of symbol to them. PML-N, PPP, and the JUI-F were asked by the ECP to submit record of their funding, but they have not submitted receipts before the scrutiny committee, he said and added that they were required to provide details of income, expenditure and source of income.

“Tell us real source of income whether the funds were come by through Hundi, Hawala or money laundering,” he asked. He also asked the three main opposition political parties as why they were reluctant to submit ID cards of their donors.

Replying to questions Shibli Faraz said that those who had benefited from the NRO are now accusing PTI of broadsheet case. He said that a committee constituted by the Prime Minister would soon place before the people details and those individuals involved in broadsheet issue before the public. He said that the prime minister has never directed the information ministry against any media group.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021