ECP says PTI received prohibited funding
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ruled on Tuesday, in a unanimous verdict, that the PTI has received prohibited funding and has issued a show cause to the party.
A three-member ECP bench led by Chief Election Commissioner l Sikander (CEC) Sultan Raja pronounced the verdict in a case filed by PTI founder member Akbar S. Babar that had been pending since November 14, 2014. The verdict, which was reserved on 21 June, was due at 10 a.m. but was delayed by nearly half an hour.
Main points of the ECP decision:
The ECP notes that PTI has received funding from forbidden sources
Rules party obtained funds from Arif Naqvi and 34 foreigners
PTI had owned eight accounts and kept 13 secret
Show-cause notice to be issued to PTI
Imran Khan submitted a “mistaken statement” to the commission
The ECP concluded that the party had received funds from business magnate Arif Naqvi and 34 foreign nationals. It said the party owned eight accounts and kept 13 hidden.
The ECP will issue a show-cause notice to the PTI to explain why the commission should not seize the funds it received.
Speaking to the media after the verdict was announced, PTI’s Fawad Chaudhry said the bulk of the money came from Pakistani overseas.
“I don’t understand why PML-N, JUI, and PPP consider the overseas Pakistanis were their enemies. We consider the overseas Pakistanis to be the backbone of the Pakistani economy and we will continue to rely on them for our financing,” he said.
Security in Islamabad’s “red zone” was placed on high alert prior to the ECP verdict. It was decided to deploy 1,000 policemen in the area, and the anti-riot forces were also present in the red zone. Non-related individuals will not be allowed into the red zone.