ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) secretary general Asad Umar on Tuesday said that the party would challenge the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)’s verdict in the prohibited funding case within a day or two.
The top electoral watchdog – in a unanimous verdict – declared that the PTI received foreign funds from 34 individuals and 351 businesses. The donations were sent from America, Australia, Canada, and the UAE.
Speaking at a presser after the ECP announced its verdict in the PTI’s prohibited funding case, Umar said that “with the announcement of its verdict on PTI prohibited funding case, the ECP is done with what it wanted to do [with the PTI] for quite long, and we will see what it will do with similar cases against the PPP and the PML-N”.
“What on earth bars the ECP from announcing verdicts in foreign funding cases against the PPP and the PML-N? By violating the Supreme Court’s and the Islamabad High Court (IHC)’s verdicts, the ECP has rescued the PPP and the PML-N,” he regretted.
He went on to say that the ECP is acting like a political wing instead of discharging its constitutional duty independently, adding the ECP should be allotted an election symbol for what it is doing through its controversial and biased rulings from time to time.
“The PTI met all the criteria and submitted all the evidence to come clean...today’s verdict proved that there was no foreign funding case and the media trial that has been going on for years has finally come to an end today,” he added.
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He said that the PTI would file two petitions against the ECP in the IHC, adding the first would be a contempt of court petition for not deciding the PPP and the PML-N’s funding cases at the same time despite, clear instructions from the Supreme Court and the high court.
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“The second petition would be challenging the verdict itself,” Umar said, adding that there were deficiencies of law and facts in the ECP’s decision,” he added.
Umar criticised the ECP and said it was clear that it belonged to the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)’s camp, adding all its verdicts have been against the PTI which is proved after they were overturned by the courts. The PTI secretary general also rebutted the conclusions of the verdict and maintained that the party had disclosed all its accounts, their details, and submissions.
“The ECP had given its decision while ignoring the evidence submitted by the PTI,” he added.
Regarding funding from prohibited sources, he questioned that when the US and the UK had no issues with the PTI’s fundraising, why was the ECP raising issues?
Besides, regarding Form-1 being inaccurate, he said it was not the same as a personal affidavit submitted by politicians at the time of elections.
He said that most of the funding which the PTI had gotten came through overseas Pakistanis, adding the ECP should have properly investigated the matter before reaching any conclusion.
Umar reiterated that the ECP lost its credibility through its biased decision against the PTI which is evident from its recent verdict.
He said that the ruling alliance of the PDM is in shock as it miserably failed in its “nefarious motive” to put a ban on the PTI.
He said that the PTI chief had not submitted any affidavit in the instant case as it was a certificate, adding there was no threat to Imran Khan’s political future but the future of the corrupt is certainly in danger.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2022
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