ISLAMABAD - The evidences emerged during the ECP scrutiny committee on Monday in the foreign funding case put a question mark on Prime Minister Imran Khan’s claims of expelling Akbar S Baber from the party in September 2011. According to sources in the committee, the PTI Special Audit authorized by PTI Chairman Imran Khan in March 2013 was conducted at the behest of Akbar S. Babar whereas PTI and its Chairman Imran Khan have repeatedly claimed publicly as well as before the ECP, IHC and now the Supreme Court of Pakistan that Babar was expelled from the party in September 2011 and had nothing to do with the party ever since.
The sources further revealed that the evidence was read out in detail before the ECP Scrutiny Committee by the petitioner’s lawyer Syed Ahmad Hassan Shan and it will more jeopardize the position of ruling party in foreign funding case.
The records presented before the committee also show that PTI Chairman’s brother-in-law Abdul Ahad along with the auditor Jalal Ahsan of Ahsan and Ahsan Chartered Accountants firm visited the home of Akbar S. Babar several times in early 2013 to draft the TOR of the Special Audit subsequently signed by PTI Chairman Imran Khan on March 9, 2013.
It is also revealed that, the auditor wrote several letters to Akbar S. Babar “on behalf of PTI” and held meetings with him seeking ‘proofs’ on allegations of corruption and alleged illegal funding. Whereas, Imran Khan in his petition before the Supreme Court claimed that Akbar S. Babar was expelled from PTI in late September 2011 and had nothing to do with PTI ever since.
A reliable source further told The Nation that in one such meeting held on September 7, 2013, the auditor informed Akbar S. Babar that contrary to earlier claims the PTI finance team had changed its earlier stance that “no funds were received outside the official and legal PTI banking accounts “as the auditor claimed that “he has seen some evidence in terms of bank statements of PTI employees.” This seems to confirm the oft repeated claim of Babar that private bank accounts of PTI employees were used to collect donations received through illegal means such as “Hundi.”
As per the details provided by the source, the minutes of the meeting showed that the “auditor agreed for the record that the PTI Finance Secretary, Sardar Azhar Tariq Khan had offered him (auditor) future business with PTI which was termed as a potential bribe offer by Akbar S. Babar.” In an email to Akbar S. Babar, the auditor had requested that the business offer should not be made public.
The Special Audit report had verified the allegations of the petitioner regarding gross financial irregularities, however, PTI decided to disown its own special audit report and termed it “forged and fabricated document” and blamed the auditor of acting “ultra vires.” \ However, sources in ECP revealed that the Monday meeting was particularly stormy as the petitioner’s lawyer Syed Ahmad Hassan Shah repeatedly asserted that the documents shared by PTI before the Committee must be shared with the complainant.