New twist to PTI foreign funding case

ISLAMABAD: In a new twist to the tale of the foreign funding case against the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the scrutiny committee of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has accused Akbar S Babar, the petitioner against the PTI, of using delaying tactics in the case.

Sources informed Pakistan Today that Babar was caught in the alleged foreign funding case after the scrutiny committee had asked Babar to provide evidence against the ruling party for wrongdoing. The committee had stated that as the petition, the burden of proof falls on his shoulders.

“Why are you saying that the Election Commission should provide PTI documents for you to examine? If Akbar S Babar keeps making new applications again and again, the scrutiny will never be complete,” the source quoted the scrutiny committee as telling Babar.

The source said that the scrutiny committee also told Babar in its last hearing, that while the petitioner had accused the PTI of trying to end the case too soon, that the whole matter was being delayed because of Babar.

It has come to light that Babar himself is now in hot waters as he has to prove accusations against the PTI.

Sources said that Babar’s request to interrogate a PTI employee from Dubai was also rejected by the scrutiny committee and it was said that the case was related to party funding in which the party’s affairs would be looked into in this way.

A person’s private accounts cannot be verified by personally blocking them, the committee observed.

Furthermore, in the second petition, Babar had said that the PTI finance secretary should be summoned, in response to which the scrutiny committee of the Election Commission argued that the documents were submitted by PTI Chairman Imran Khan to the Election Commission.

“When the party chairman has submitted the documents with his signatures, then why should the finance secretary be called? Imran Khan’s case is already being fought by his lawyers,” the scrutiny committee observed.