ECP verdict ‘blatantly’ exposes Imran benefitted from prohibited funding, says Khawaja Asif

ISLAMABAD    -   Minister for Defence Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Tuesday said the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) verdict “blatantly” exposed benefitting of Paki­stan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan from the prohibited foreign funding. Addressing a joint press conference flanked by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, he said it was a landmark judgment, which was an­nounced by the ECP after eight- year long proceed­ings and would prove to be a milestone in the coun­try’s political history. “It had been our demand for many years that there must be one law for all and thank the Almighty the PTI leaders have also real­ized it now as they have got their throats dried while making this demand,” he added. The minister said the PTI during its government had unleashed a one sided trial of its opponents. He alleged,” The foreign agent [Imran Khan], who himself received funding from the US nationals, Britishers, Canadians, Indians, Israelis and others, has been calling his rivals as agents of foreign powers”. The decision would have its implica­tions in future, he said. The National Assembly mem­bers had been disqualified for not declaring mere Rs 40,000, and PML-N Quaid Nawaz Sharif for not de­claring Rs10,000, he added. Khawaja Asif said the PTI leadership praised the courts for favourable decrees and otherwise crticised them if their verdicts were against them. He said Sikander Sultan Raja was pro­posed for the post of chief election commissioner. For­mer defence minister Pervez Khattak had given him a chit in the parliament bearing his name, he claimed. “I was an eye-witness to Sikander Sultan Raja’s nomina­tion for CEC. After Khattak’s message, we approved his name after consultation within the party.”

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