ISLAMABAD - Not only Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) but the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) also has a foreign company in the United Kingdom for the collection of funds from abroad.
Representing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Anwar Mansoor advocate argued this before the Supreme Court three-member bench headed by the chief justice.
Justice Faisal Arab, a member of the bench asked him to approach the relevant forum in this regard as this case is not before them.
The PTI counsel also submitted a 12-page document regarding the foreign company owned by the PML-N before the Supreme Court. According to the document Javed Iqbal is secretary of the company. It was registered on 17th September 2015 under the Companies Act 2006 in UK.
The company has offices in London and Wales and its objectives are to collect funds for the promotion of democracy, education and peace.
A three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar was hearing the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hanif Abbasi’s petition against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan and the PTI General-Secretary, Jehangir Khan.
Mansoor contended that almost all the political parties owned foreign companies and received collection of funds from there.
He said overseas Pakistanis loved their country, adding the amounts received from them could not be termed “foreign funding”.
However, if Kulbushan Yadhav gives funds then it would be funding through prohibited sources. The chief justice questioned if a political party in its protest rallies gets buses and airplane from unspecified sources then who would investigate it.
Who and when the scrutiny for receiving funds from prohibited sources would be conducted?
He said if those matters came before the election commission then it had the power to investigate. Anwar Mansoor argued that the Election Commission was not a court to initiate proceedings upon receipt of the complaints.
He told that the Election Commission had made the accounts of all political parties public.
“My argument is that once the accounts and assets of parties are made public then it could not reopen,” Mansoor said.
The chief justice asked whether he liked to say that once the accounts and assets of political parties were made public and published in the gazettes then under the law the ECP could not reopen them. He said that in this regard they would seek explanation from the ECP.
Justice Atta Bandial asked the counsel whether he wanted to say that the Election Commission of Pakistan had no power of scrutiny.
Anwar Mansoor said that the PTI USA collected funds through Liability Limited Company (LLC). This is a corporate body which was established for the collection of funds from members abroad, adding the donation is collected from individuals. Justice Bandial remarked who would determine that the people who had given funds were Pakistanis or foreigners?
The chief justice questioned why the PTI felt the need to appoint agent for funds collection?
Mansoor replied that it was the requirement under the law. Justice Bandial said that its public interest litigation and the question raised was regarding receiving of foreign funds by a political party.
The chief justice inquired whether a dual national could become member of a political party? The PTI lawyer told that there was no ban on dual national to become member of a party.
Mansoor has completed his arguments.
Naeem Bukhari, on behalf of the PTI chairman, told that Imran Khan had declared London flat in his nomination papers for the general elections 2002, but he did not mention Niazi Services Limited in it.
The chief justice had directed him to argue on two issues. First which assets need to be declared must in the nomination papers?
Second under Income Tax Laws it is a must for a Pakistani citizen to declare his foreign assets in the annual tax returns. The hearing is adjourned till Thursday (today) 11:30am.
