ISLAMABAD - Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has directed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to complete its arguments within a week in Foreign Funding Case.
Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja remarked that making allegations were very easy but proving it very difficult. The PTI financial expert advanced his arguments before a three-member bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, Shah Muhammad Jatoi and Nisar Ahmed Durrani. The CEC remarked that the PTI will be answering those questions which had been asked regarding the case.
PTI Financial Advisor Najam Shah said scrutiny committee had totally ignored details given by PTI. The financial expert questioned validity of $ 3.3 million dollars remitted to Pakistan from two US based Limited Liability Companies. The companies were registered in the US under signatures of the PTI Chairman Imran Khan and used as an agent to collect donations in the US.
Earlier, the PTI Counsel had stated a disclaimer that responsibility for any prohibited funding collected in the US rested with the treasurer of the two companies and in particular with Dr Nasrullah, the treasurer of PTI USA LLC 5975 who was allegedly fired by PTI for not adhering to PTI policies.
Dr Nasrullah has so far not commented on the PTI allegation. Similarly, the PTI financial expert questioned $ 1.6 million received in the defunct KASB bank account of PTI. The KASB bank was subsequently merged in Bank Islami in May 2015 after becoming insolvent. The scrutiny of documents requisitioned through the State Bank of Pakistan reveal two letters from the Bank Islami Pakistan Ltd. addressed to the DG Law, Election Commission of Pakistan regarding PTI accounts maintained in the defunct KASB Bank which was amalgamated into Bank Islami Pakistan Ltd. in May 2015.
The PTI financial expert said that the State Bank of Pakistan has mentioned in its report that party had 18 accounts, meanwhile shedding light in the report, he said that nine account had nothing do with the Party and denied that these accounts were not PTI’s accounts. About question raised by ECP related to PTI accounts, he said that he was ready to brief commission about it but there were many mistakes in scrutiny committee report including funds records and dates. He accused scrutiny committee of showing the Habib Bank postal code as a PTI account. About media reports, CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja angrily said, “Don’t talk here about media reports. If you wish to talk about that, go out and brief media there.”
“We don’t have time to look over everyone transaction,” said CEC to PTI financial expert, adding that “why are you confusing us”.