Foreign funding case: Open hearing after scrutiny committee’s report: ECP

ISLAMABAD: Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Saturday said that open hearing of foreign funding case will be held after scrutiny committee submits its report. Spokesperson of the commission reiterated that working of the scrutiny committee cannot be conducted publically. The process of the case will continue as per the rules, he added.

Earlier, ECP on Thursday said that proceedings of scrutiny committee in PTI foreign funding case cannot be broadcasted.

Spokesperson of ECP, in a statement, urged people to avoid making unnecessary statements and analysis about the case without any evidence. ECP further said that decision in the foreign funding case will be taken on merit without any fear and pressure.

ECP said the scrutiny committee will present its comprehensive recommendation to the commission after taking stock of all the aspects.

It is pertinent to mention here that Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that foreign funding case must be opened and challenged to broadcast case proceedings live on television.

Talking to media in Waziristan, he said that the foreign funding case should be heard in the presence of party leaders.

He said that political fundraising was done only by the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), while the country is run on the remittances sent by overseas Pakistanis.

Imran Khan said that Shaukat Khanum’s funding came from overseas Pakistanis. “These (opposition) parties and I know what foreign funding is. A number of countries gave funds to these parties. I cannot name those countries because of the relations.” The prime minister said that he was grateful to the opposition for raising the issue of foreign funding, adding that everything should come clean that from where the PTI and opposition parties get their funding.

“Political parties all over the world get foreign funding,” the PM said and asked the opposition parties to tell where they raised money from. “Overseas Pakistan is not foreign funding, the whole nation will know who raised money properly in this country.”