ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has ruled out the suggestion to hold open hearings in the long-pending foreign funding trial against the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), a spokesperson for the body confirmed on Saturday.
On Wednesday, Prime Minister Imran Khan called for a public trial in the case as he sought to “challenge” opposition parties to likewise submit to proceedings to prove they had not received any “illegal” funds from foreign sources.
However, in a statement, the spokesperson said: “The scrutiny committee [of the ECP] will not conduct an open hearing of its proceedings,” adding that “the proceedings will be made public only after the committee submits its report [in the case].”
The statement, he said, was being issued to address the concerns regarding the conduct of the committee.
The election commission is pursuing the 2014 claim — filed by Akbar S. Zaidi, a founding member of the ruling party — accusing the PTI of receiving foreign funding during years leading to and after the 2013 election.
The trial gained fame and momentum earlier this week following a protest of opposition parties outside the offices of the ECP in Islamabad to “question” the delay in the probe that has dragged on throughout the tenure of deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif and the two-and-a-half years of the incumbent setup without a verdict.
The party has sought to distance itself from the case, saying its funds were gathered by “agents” who were working at odds with the instructions of then chairman Imran Khan, and as such, the PTI was not liable for their sources.
Last week, the scrutiny committee summoned both the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), directing them to submit their respective records of funds collected through foreign sources.
In his statement, the spokesperson further said the trial is taking place in the presence of the representatives of the concerned political parties, adding an open trial will be held to forward the recommendations of the committee after it submits its report.
