ECP rejects PTI request to not make foreign funding report public
our correspondent
ISLAMABAD
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry said on Tuesday that Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) must reveal funding details of all political parties.
Addressing a press conference after federal cabinet meeting on Tuesday, he said that workers from all over the world are funding for the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), while the opposition s hopes have been dashed.
“PTI s funding system is legal and if people trust anyone that is Imran Khan,” he said. Fawad Ch went on to say that the ECP should reveal details regarding funding of all political parties, adding that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif used the party s account for money laundering.
Earlier today, talking to media outside ECP, Minister for Planning and Development, Asad Umar had assured to extend full cooperation to Election Commission of Pakistan in foreign funding case.
He said PTI has collected funds in the most transparent manner and the nation has full confidence on the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The minister, however, said the secret accounts of PML-N and the PPP are coming to the surface. Speaking on the occasion, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, Farrukh Habib said the scrutiny committees should immediately submit their reports regarding PML (N) and the PPP to Election Commission.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission of Pakistan Tuesday rejected Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s (PTI) request to not make foreign funding report public. The committee formed to scrutinize the PTI accounts presented its report in the Election Commission of Pakistan.
The Chief Election Commissioner directed to give copies of the report to all the parties. A three-member bench of the Election Commission of Pakistan headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja heard the PTI foreign funding case.
Petitioner Akbar S Babar, PTI leaders Asad Umar and Amir Kiyani and the party’s lawyer Shah Khawar appeared before the commission.
The scrutiny committee submitted its report to the commission.
Petitioner Akbar S Babar’s lawyer Hassan requested the commission to provide them the report of the scrutiny committee when it would become a record of the commission. He insisted to see the report and the ancillary material.
However, PTI lawyer Shah Khawar contested saying the report was only for the concerned parties. He requested the commission to not make the report public unless they would see it and make their comments.
“Once we will submit our explanation, then the commission can make the scrutiny committee report public. Till then the commission is requested to make the report confidential,” Khawar added.
He said let the scrutiny of the accounts of other parties be completed as their reports were in the final stages. Then the commission should make public reports of all political parties together, he suggested.
One of the members of the commission remarked that it was not an in-camera hearing. The chief election commissioner wondered how the reports of all parties could be combined. The CEC ordered to provide copies of the report to all parties. The commission adjourned the hearing of the case till Jan 18.
