PTI foreign funding case adjourned until next month

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) today adjourned the hearing of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) foreign funding case until February 7.

A five-member bench of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Justice (r) Sardar Raza Mohammad Khan, heard on Tuesday the foreign funding case against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on a petition by disgruntled party founder Akbar S Babar.

In 2014, Akbar S Babar, a founding PTI member had filed a petition in the ECP seeking the disqualification of Imran Khan for allegedly obtaining funds from illegal sources and discrepancies in the party’s accounts.

He also claimed that funds worth $3 million were collected by the PTI chief, transferred from illegal channels from the Middle East to bank accounts of PTI members.

During December 12 hearing of the case, the CEC had summoned for the second time PTI Finance Secretary Azhar Tariq Khan, after the party had failed to submit its reply to Babar’s objections raised against PTI documents submitted in ECP and Supreme Court.

During Tuesday’s hearing, Azhar Tariq Khan rubbished Babar’s objections, saying that “the petitioner is not even aware of the contents of the documents submitted to the ECP, which are not public”.

Meanwhile, the petitioner requested the commission again to grant him permission to submit additional documents regarding the funding. The ECP denied the request, and said Akbar should have provided all documents as part of his first request.

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