ISLAMABAD: The scrutiny committee of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will resume hearing in the long-pending foreign funding case against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) wherein complainant Akbar S Babar, a founding member of the party, will appear.
The committee will review the objections raised by Babar over the documents submitted by the party.
The commission is pursuing the 2014 claim 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 PTI 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 party was not liable for their sources.
Following the protest of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) outside the ECP offices, 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 a statement, a spokesperson for the commission 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.
Last week, Prime Minister Imran 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. However, the ECP ruled out the suggestion.
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