ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker Farrukh Habib, Wednesday, challenged the top opposition leaders to an ‘open dialogue’ on Foreign Funding case, saying the ruling party has no objection to open proceedings in the case and it ‘totally’ supports open trial.

“I challenge Maryam Safdar, Bilawal Zardari and Fazal-ur-Rehman to face me in an open dialogue in front of the media. I challenge them to come up with evidence and it would be proved who took foreign funding and who didn’t,” he said, speaking to journalists at Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

“We will not let you run away. I challenge you all. Come and face me,” he said.

Habib accused Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) of presenting false data before the Scrutiny Committee in Foreign Funding case. “They (PML-N) have sensed that they would be caught so they are crying foul now. But, we will not let them go scot-free,” he said.

Habib denied that PTI had any objection over open proceedings of Foreign Funding case. “Scrutiny committee can simply present facts before ECP and it is up to the ECP to decide the case. Once the Scrutiny Committee submits its report and the case goes to ECP, the commission would hold open hearing of the case.

We have no objection to it and we totally support open hearing,” he said.

The PTI Member National Assembly (MNA) said the Scrutiny Committee should share with all stakeholders the data submitted in the case by the political parties. “The record should be shared. It is up to the Scrutiny Committee to decide about it but we have moved an application before the Scrutiny Committee today to pass a written order in this regard,” he said.

Earlier, speaking to media at ECP, Ahsan Iqbal from PML-N challenged PTI to justify foreign funding. “PTI has failed to justify its foreign funding. That is why it wants secrecy in this case,” he said.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021