Chief Election Commissioner: PML-N slams PTI over announcement about filing of reference

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb on Monday lashed out at the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for its announcement to file a reference against the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) allegedly to create hindrance in the court order about concluding the foreign funding case within 30 days.

Speaking at a news conference, she said that verdict of the foreign funding case against the PTI will expose the truth, adding that it was unfortunate that the PTI chairman, Imran Khan, has announced that his party would file a reference against the CEC.

She said that the reference is being filed because the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has instructed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to conclude the foreign funding case within 30 days. She pointed out that PTI secretary general Asad Umar had also filed a petition in the court not to public the findings of the foreign funding case, which she said, were brought by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) along with the PTI’s alleged money-laundering during its own tenure. She added that for the past eight years, the foreign funding case is pending with the ECP.

“If any party’s head has accepted the foreign funding, the head of the concerned political party would have to face the law,” she said, adding that the PTI’s another possible narrative would be that after the alleged conspiracy in the US, another “conspiracy” against the party was hatched in the ECP.

The PML-N spokesperson alleged that millions of rupees were revived in foreign funding in 16 accounts, including from an Indian citizen – Romita Shetty.

She further alleged that Wootton Cricket Limited, Dubai, Bristol Engineering Services from the UAE, USS Marketing Company, PTI, UK, PTI Finland, besides, funding was also received from Norway, Australia, and Canada. From Canada and New Zealand, 88 individuals sent funds in 349 companies, she further alleged.

“They robbed overseas Pakistanis in the name of charity and the money kept coming in party funding,” she alleged, adding that donations for the hospital were received and used for party funding.

She further alleged that USD 73.23 million and Rs852 million went into the PTI leaders personal accounts which were not declared. According to the SBP data, she added that seven accounts were not declared in 2008 and 2009. In 2009 and 2010, she added that seven accounts were not declared while only two were declared.

In 2010-11, she alleged that three accounts were not declared; in 2011-12, 14 accounts were not declared, only two were revealed.

In 2012-13, 14 accounts were undeclared and only four were disclosed. “This is all the foreign funding that has been coming into these accounts, and US$ 7 million were not declared. And tomorrow, he [Imran Khan] will say that the CEC conspired against me,” she further alleged.

She further criticized the former prime minister, saying that in his four years term, he sent the opponent to jails, imposed curbs on the media to silence the journalists, and attacked the institutions. “Now, he is crying of the so-called foreign conspiracy,” she added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022