ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Wednesday admitted in ECP that mishandling in the party funds was done before 2013.
The case was heard by CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja, Shah Mohammad Jatoi and Nisar Ahmed Durrani. Anwar Mansoor, counsel for the PTI, said that there was mishandling in the party funds before 2013 after which the party Chairman Imran Khan said that funds should be given to the PTI official account. Anwar Mansoor said that PTI Chairman Imran Khan had conceded that he did not have strict control over the party funds. He argued that donation policy made by former Prime Minister Imran Khan regarding party fund had been submitted to the scrutiny committee. In this regard, a letter had been written by party Chairman Imran Khan which was available with the committee, said Anwar Mansoor. According to Khan’s letter, funds could be given to authorised PTI official accounts and not to individuals.
The PTI counsel said that the PTI was not responsible for any funding raised without permission of the Central Finance Committee. The ECP member asked for the sources of funds from the PTI lawyer. To this, Anwar Mansoor said that the policy stated that the funds would be raised under the Political Parties Order.
Mansoor explained that the two US based companies registered in the US for fund collection and other purposes including influencing US policy were registered with FARA according to the US law. He said the PTI policy of collecting donations was according to the Political Parties Order 2002 and this was made clear to its agents in the US and the Treasurer of the PTI US Company. He said the PTI had fired one of its agents Dr Nasrullah for allowing funding and collecting donations from prohibited sources. When asked by an ECP member if the contract between the PTI and its treasurer of the PTI US Company was terminated for not following PTI policy on fund raising. The scrutiny committee picked up FARA list, which was not sent to them, he said. However, the PTI lawyer said that FARA had reporting of the agent’s collection and also they had all records of the agent. He further said that party had complete record of the money received in the country, and added that they had removed an agent due to collection of prohibited funds. He claimed that the task assigned to the Special Auditor was not an audit but an assignment to conduct review of PTI donations received from abroad. He further said the Scrutiny Committee had refused to accept the Special Audit Report as it remained unsigned.
| Says agent responsible for prohibited funding | PTI counsel says party had fired one of its agents Dr Nasrullah for allowing funding, collecting donations from prohibited sources\
Party not responsible for any funding raised without permission of central finance committee
However, Anwar Mansoor kept referring to a letter that led to the Special Audit but did not specify who had written the letter. The record also shows that the Special Audit Report with the same title is still available on the PTI website and any document downloaded from an official website is admissible evidence under law. The PTI lawyer Anwar Mansoor Khan claimed that a form 1 regarding details of foreign funding of PTI was submitted before the ECP. However, the Scrutiny Committee completely ignored the document. Whereas, the case record available with this correspondent shows that on April 1, 2015, the ECP, in its written order, had stated that “the declarations so made (by PTI) from year to year were requisitioned from the office which were examined in the light of form-I prepared under Rule 4. Column No.6 of the said form pertains to the sources of funds with details. However, “The declarations so submitted do not contain the source of foreign funds with details.” Later on, the ECP adjourned the case till today (Thursday) at 10 am. Talking to the media outside the ECP, the PTI petitioner Akbar S Babar said that PTI had once again shifted blame for receiving illegal funds in the US on Dr Nasrullah the Treasurer of the US based PTI Company.
He said when the Scrutiny Committee Report was released on January 4, 2022 that identified scores of concealed PTI accounts, PTI disowned eleven of its accounts revealed through the State Bank of Pakistan. He said PTI discredited its top leadership that included Asad Qaiser, Shah Farman, Imran Ismail, Mian Mahmudur Rashid, Samar Ali Khan, Najeeb Khan, and even Imran Khan’s close friend late Ahsan Rashid for operating illegal PTI accounts without knowledge of the PTI Central Finance Department, whereas, documented evidence is available that the PTI Central Finance Board including the PTI Central Finance Secretary Sardar Azhar Tariq Khan was operating the PTI accounts that it has disowned now to save its skin.
The case was heard by CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja, Shah Mohammad Jatoi and Nisar Ahmed Durrani. Anwar Mansoor, counsel for the PTI, said that there was mishandling in the party funds before 2013 after which the party Chairman Imran Khan said that funds should be given to the PTI official account. Anwar Mansoor said that PTI Chairman Imran Khan had conceded that he did not have strict control over the party funds. He argued that donation policy made by former Prime Minister Imran Khan regarding party fund had been submitted to the scrutiny committee. In this regard, a letter had been written by party Chairman Imran Khan which was available with the committee, said Anwar Mansoor. According to Khan’s letter, funds could be given to authorised PTI official accounts and not to individuals.
The PTI counsel said that the PTI was not responsible for any funding raised without permission of the Central Finance Committee. The ECP member asked for the sources of funds from the PTI lawyer. To this, Anwar Mansoor said that the policy stated that the funds would be raised under the Political Parties Order.
Mansoor explained that the two US based companies registered in the US for fund collection and other purposes including influencing US policy were registered with FARA according to the US law. He said the PTI policy of collecting donations was according to the Political Parties Order 2002 and this was made clear to its agents in the US and the Treasurer of the PTI US Company. He said the PTI had fired one of its agents Dr Nasrullah for allowing funding and collecting donations from prohibited sources. When asked by an ECP member if the contract between the PTI and its treasurer of the PTI US Company was terminated for not following PTI policy on fund raising. The scrutiny committee picked up FARA list, which was not sent to them, he said. However, the PTI lawyer said that FARA had reporting of the agent’s collection and also they had all records of the agent. He further said that party had complete record of the money received in the country, and added that they had removed an agent due to collection of prohibited funds. He claimed that the task assigned to the Special Auditor was not an audit but an assignment to conduct review of PTI donations received from abroad. He further said the Scrutiny Committee had refused to accept the Special Audit Report as it remained unsigned.
| Says agent responsible for prohibited funding | PTI counsel says party had fired one of its agents Dr Nasrullah for allowing funding, collecting donations from prohibited sources\
Party not responsible for any funding raised without permission of central finance committee
However, Anwar Mansoor kept referring to a letter that led to the Special Audit but did not specify who had written the letter. The record also shows that the Special Audit Report with the same title is still available on the PTI website and any document downloaded from an official website is admissible evidence under law. The PTI lawyer Anwar Mansoor Khan claimed that a form 1 regarding details of foreign funding of PTI was submitted before the ECP. However, the Scrutiny Committee completely ignored the document. Whereas, the case record available with this correspondent shows that on April 1, 2015, the ECP, in its written order, had stated that “the declarations so made (by PTI) from year to year were requisitioned from the office which were examined in the light of form-I prepared under Rule 4. Column No.6 of the said form pertains to the sources of funds with details. However, “The declarations so submitted do not contain the source of foreign funds with details.” Later on, the ECP adjourned the case till today (Thursday) at 10 am. Talking to the media outside the ECP, the PTI petitioner Akbar S Babar said that PTI had once again shifted blame for receiving illegal funds in the US on Dr Nasrullah the Treasurer of the US based PTI Company.
He said when the Scrutiny Committee Report was released on January 4, 2022 that identified scores of concealed PTI accounts, PTI disowned eleven of its accounts revealed through the State Bank of Pakistan. He said PTI discredited its top leadership that included Asad Qaiser, Shah Farman, Imran Ismail, Mian Mahmudur Rashid, Samar Ali Khan, Najeeb Khan, and even Imran Khan’s close friend late Ahsan Rashid for operating illegal PTI accounts without knowledge of the PTI Central Finance Department, whereas, documented evidence is available that the PTI Central Finance Board including the PTI Central Finance Secretary Sardar Azhar Tariq Khan was operating the PTI accounts that it has disowned now to save its skin.
