Companies or assets abroad?: PML-N, PPP answer in the negative

Two major opposition parties, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People's Party (PPP), have denied having any company or asset abroad in their respective replies submitted with the Scrutiny Committee of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in the foreign funding case.

The Scrutiny Committee on Friday received the separate replies of both the parties suggesting that neither did they have any asset abroad nor have they received any kind of foreign funding, sources in the ECP told Business Recorder.

The Scrutiny Committee had sent a questionnaire to both the parties containing queries about foreign funding.

The three-member Scrutiny Committee is headed by ECP's Director General (Law) Muhammad Arshad as its chairman and includes DG (Audit) Defense Services Masood Akhtar Sherwani and Controller Accounts Air Force Muhammad Faheem as its members.

A well-placed source in ECP told Business Recorder that both the PML-N and PPP have not submitted any documentary evidence in the case and merely submitted one-page replies. "There is no compelling evidence to negate the allegations of the PTI that PML-N and PPP do not own assets abroad. They have merely submitted one-pagers to deny having any wealth abroad," said a senior ECP official.

Earlier on Tuesday, the PTI submitted its financial details before the ECP including the details of its LCC (life cycle costing) account along with a detailed documentation which included the details of the PTI's overseas donors, details of related bank transactions, relevant bank statements, and receipts of relevant financial activities, sources privy to the matter told Business Recorder. Also on Tuesday, the ECP separately gave questionnaires to PML-N and PPP seeking foreign funding details from both these parties by Friday.

The ECP on November 21 decided to accept the request of opposition parties to conduct on a daily basis the hearings of the foreign funding case related to PTI and fixed November 26 (Tuesday) as the date to commence proceedings of the case, after a gap of 20 months. Before the Tuesday's hearing, the ECP last held the regular hearing of foreign funding case in March 2018 when the Scrutiny Committee was formed to scrutinise the PTI funds.

The PTI also requested the ECP that the foreign funding case related to the PML-N and PPP should also be heard by the ECP. The ECP accepted this demand and held separate hearings, also on November 26, of foreign funding case related to the PML-N and PPP.

The source said that both the parties had strongly stressed on the ECP to resume proceedings of foreign funding case related to the PTI but the two opposition parties are not happy with the ECP's decision to also hear foreign funding case related to the PML-N and PPP.

On June 15 this year, the ECP issued notices to all three major parties, PTI, PML-N and PPP, to appear before the Scrutiny Committee on June 20. The notices were issued respectively on the petition of Farrukh Habib against PML-N and PPP and Akbar Babar's related petition against the PTI. However, there is no headway in this regard and the matter remains pending.

Akbar Babar in November 2014 had moved the ECP accusing the PTI of being a 'foreign-funded' party and seeking action against it in accordance with related constitutional provisions. In the same month last year, the ECP formed the Scrutiny Committee to scrutinise the funds of PTI and to submit its report in a month but the committee has not furnished its report. On October 1, the ECP reserved verdict on four pleas by the PTI which requested the commission to maintain 'secrecy' in the scrutiny of funding' details of the party in the case on the grounds that 'false' news was being leaked about the PTI funds, which, the ruling party said, was an attempt to malign it. On October 10, the ECP announced its reserved verdict and rejected the PTI pleas.

Shah Khawar is PTI's counsel in the case whereas Ahmad Hassan represents Akbar Babar. The PML-N is represented by Jahangir Jadoon and the PPP is represented by Shehbaz Khosa.

Although Babar has requested the Commission to expedite the hearing of foreign funding case and issue verdict accordingly, keeping in view that Chief Election Commissioner former Justice Sardar Muhammad Raza is retiring on coming December 6, it is unlikely that the case proceedings would conclude by the CEC's retirement.