ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the foreign funding case has once again sought time to present statistics of its accounts before the Commission. PTI financial expert presented his arguments to defend PTI accounts before the ECP three-member bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja, Shah Muhammad Jatoi and Nisar Ahmed Durrani. During hearing of the case, the PTI financial expert told the court that PTI had presented standard audit report before the commission. However, he questioned that scrutiny committee should have pointed out flaws in PTI standard audit report. The PTI financial expert said the ECP formats seeking disclosure of funding details are not specific. He said the foreign funding case is a first impression case and detailed formats for presenting funding details have yet to be fully tested. The financial expert referred paragraphs of the scrutiny committee report before the commission and said that they have also provided bank officials and as well as account details but scrutiny committee has ignored the entire report of PTI. He said that large amount of party fund was transferred to several accounts and added that they had many other small accounts. He objected before bench that returned cheques were also shown in the scrutiny committee report. PTI financial expert expressed his reservations that the amount was shown twice in committee report, adding that the scrutiny committee did not tried to understand their objectives about. Meanwhile PTI financial expert consistently kept on about performance of scrutiny committee instead of accounts then the CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja asked the financial expert to talk about bank accounts not scrutiny committee performance. Moreover, the ECP asked him to not present evidence about the case but talk about PTI accounts. CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja remarked that presentation on audit best practices has made “us more confusing than before’’. while the Financial expert didn’t convince them about PTI bank accounts money trail of funds received as Anwar Mansoor Khan do. Later on, The PTI Counsel Anwar Mansoor Khan assured the ECP that PTI financial experts would ensure on Thursday to present financial details and money trail of funds received.
Talking to the media outside the ECP, the petitioner Akbar S. Babar stated that he hopes that the PTI financial experts would conclude their arguments in the next few days followed by their rebuttal to conclude arguments on the almost eight year old case.
Akbar S. Babar said that attempts to intimidate constitutional bodies should be resisted with full force of law, adding that the economic crisis stems from unending political crisis which is purely power driven without keeping the interests of the people, he said
Babar said that with financial default looming large, a sense of urgency to deal with the crisis is missing. He said by now the Cabinet Committee on National Security should have met to face the economic crisis and finalized specific measures to stem the slide of Rupee against the dollar.
He demanded that imports of all nonessential items should be banned including luxury vehicles and energy conservation measures should be put in place to reduce fuel import costs.
Babar said only a reckless leadership can think of launching street protests at a time when the economy of the country is in doldrums. However, he said immediate elections are not the solution to the looming financial and economic collapse.
Later on, The ECP adjourned the case further hearing on Thursday.