Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to announce the “long-delayed” judgement in the prohibited funding case against Imran Khan’s PTI.
Taking to Twitter, the premier said, “For long has Imran Niazi been given a free pass despite his repeated and shameless attacks on state institutions. Impunity given to him has hurt the country.”
I urge the Election Commission of Pakistan to announce long-delayed judgment on PTI foreign funding case. For long has Imran Niazi been given a free pass despite his repeated & shameless attacks on state institutions. Impunity given to him has hurt the country.
— Shehbaz Sharif (@CMShehbaz) July 19, 2022
The case, previously referred to as the foreign funding case, was filed by Akbar S Babar, and has been pending since Nov 14, 2014. Babar was a founding member of the PTI, but is no longer associated with it. He had alleged serious financial irregularities in the party’s funding from Pakistan and abroad.
The PTI had, however, denied any wrongdoing, and maintains the funding is not from prohibited sources.
The ECP had reserved its verdict last month, but it has not been issued yet.
Read more: Foreign funding case: Will PTI be banned?
PM Shehbaz’s remarks follow PTI’s sweeping victory on 20 seats in the Punjab by-elections on Sunday. Subsequently, in an address to supporters on Monday, PTI chairman Imran Khan criticised the ECP for being biased and demanded Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja’s resignation over his alleged favouring of the PML-N in electoral battles.
Khan also claimed that his party won the by-polls despite the use of state machinery as he insisted that early elections were still the only solution to the country’s economic problems.
Today Punjab govt has brazenly violated SC orders & election rules by openly using all govt/State machinery to rig Punjab elections through illegal ballot stamping & harrassing voters while arresting PTI ldrs. Through it all ECP turned a blind eye. Courts must open now & act.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) July 17, 2022
Following Imran’s address, PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz Sharif urged that the ECP issue its verdict in the foreign funding case soon. “There is irrefutable evidence against you (Imran) which has to be revealed inevitably.”
آہا کمبخت انسان ۔ اتنا صاف شفاف الیکشن ۔ زرہ برابر کہیں سے دھاندلی لڑائی جھگڑے یا کسی قسم کی گڑ بڑ کی خبر نہ آئی اور تقریبا ساری سیٹیں جیتنے کے باوجود الزامات لگا رہے ہو ۔۔۔۔۔ لگتا ہے فارن فنڈنگ کیس کا فیصلہ قریب ہے ۔ pic.twitter.com/TJsHFfBDwV
— Engr Raja Abid (@EngrRajaAbidPm1) July 18, 2022
She insisted that the PTI Chief’s criticism of the ECP was not due to rigging, which she said did not even take place. She said, “It is the fear of the foreign funding case.”
On January 4, the ECP’s scrutiny committee, which was formed in March 2018 to examine the PTI’s foreign funding in one month, finally submitted its report after 95 hearings and nearly four years.
Read more: PTI hits back at PM Shehbaz for pressurizing Election Commission
The report said the party under-reported an amount of Rs312 million over a four-year period, between FY2009-10 and FY2012-13. Year-wise details show that an amount of over Rs145m was under-reported in FY2012-13 alone.
With input from Dawn