ISLAMABAD -  The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Monday issued a notice to PTI Chairman Imran Khan for reply in a contempt petition filed by a former party leader until February 21.

A five-member panel, headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sardar Muhammad Raza Khan, heard the case of embezzlement in PTI party fund. Interestingly no PTI lawyer appeared before the ECP.

Talking to the media, petitioner Akbar S Babar alleged Imran was ‘trying to escape justice’.

“Instead of producing documents as claimed publicly by PTI lawyer on January 22, no PTI lawyer appeared before the commission today,” he maintained.

On January 21, Akbar filed a petition seeking the initiation of contempt proceedings against Imran over his contemptuous and scandalous remarks against the ECP.

He said the commission served notice on Imran on the contempt of the commission, petition filed by him for accusing it of ‘being bias’.

The former PTI leader claimed that Imran denied corruption allegations, stressing that he (Imran Khan) was never be a minister. But, Akbar argued that ‘Double Shah’ also robbed people of billions of rupees without being minister of finance.

“Imran Khan will be made answerable for billions of rupees collected to bring about change”, he said, adding that the only change in KP is in PTI ‘ministers bank accounts’.

He said Imran can run but won’t be allowed to avoid justice in embezzlement of party funds case.

Akbar claimed, “Imran only believes in two sets of justice – one for the poor and one for the rich – and forgets the third type – the law of the jungle –he practices.”

Instead of curbing corruption in KP, Akbas alleged that Imran has destroyed the entire accountability process by making the KP Ehtesab Commission redundant.

The PTI party fund embezzlement case has been moving from one judicial forum to another since October 8, 2015, when a full bench of ECP rejected the PTI’s stance questioning the commission’s jurisdiction to scrutinise the party’s accounts.

In November 2015, the PTI filed a writ petition in the IHC to suspend ECP scrutiny of its accounts.

On December 1, 2016, the ECP ordered Imran Khan to submit all documents, including bank statements of those PTI employees in whose accounts money was allegedly received from illegal sources.

The documents sought include the registration deeds of two offshore companies in the US, which were allegedly used to collect and transmit over $3 million to PTI accounts in Pakistan.

In April, 2015, the commission carried out scrutiny of the PTI audited reports submitted to it and found no traces of the allegedly embezzled funds.

Defence Minister Kh Asif and PML-N leader Daniyal Aziz separately told the media that Imran Khan has been trying to ‘escape’ justice for a long time long but he will have to give the money trail.

Talking to the media outside the Supreme Court, Asif said that Imran should stop misleading the nation.

“Now Imran has to inform how he collected money in the name of donation and Zakat and using such donations in the name of his mother,” he said, adding that the PTI leadership should avoid adopting double standard as on one hand they were demanding the PML-N show money trail proof while on other hand they were hiding from the ECP.

He questioned why PTI's chief failed to inform the commission about money trail of foreign funding.

Asif said it was for the first time in the history of the country that old money transaction record was being provided with full documents before the honorable court. He added such record was even from period of year 1979-80.

"We being an elected public representative were accountable to everyone and we consider it our responsibility to patiently show all proves regarding money transaction in any explanation."