Islamabad, 03 January 2022

Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is expected to hold public hearing from Tuesday 4th of January 2022 against Prime Minister Imran Khan's ruling party 'Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) on severe charges of receiving party funds from illegal foreign sources, concealment of bank accounts in the country and abroad, money laundering, using private bank accounts of PTI employees as front to receive illegal donations.

Akbar S. Babar, once close aide of Imran Khan, founder member of PTI, Party's Central Information Secretary and President of PTI Balochistan Province has claimed that the party received illegal foreign funding of over Rs2 billion in 2009-13. The case was filed in November 2014 has been linger on before ECP since then.

Babar alleged serious financial irregularities in the ruling party’s accounts including illegal sources of funding, concealment of bank accounts in the country and abroad, money laundering, and using private bank accounts of PTI employees as a front to receive illegal donations from the Middle East.

The PTI had approached the commission in October 2017 to seek scrutiny of funding record of the PML-N and PPP for years 2013-2015. PTI also used a number of tactics in delaying the case including a petition in Islamabad High Court challenging entitlement of ECP to take up the matter.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday dismissed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf ‘s (PTI) petition challenging jurisdiction of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in a case related to funding of the party from foreign sources.

In January 2018, dismissing the petition, Islamabad High Court Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani enabled the ECP to proceed against the PTI in the case pending before the ECP since November 2014. The court has dismissed the petition on grounds that it has become ‘infructuous’.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in March 2018 formed a three-member penal to investigate allegations that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had been receiving donations through illegitimate channels. The order, read verbally by the CEC, said the first meeting of the ECP Scrutiny Committee would be held on March 19, 2018 and finalise its report within one month of its formation.

The committee submitted its report to the commission in November 2021, around six months after the last deadline given to it by the ECP in September 2020.

Muhammad Arshad, Director General of Law at the ECP, head of the committee had presented the report and the report was reviewed by ECP headed by Chief Election Commissioner  Sikandar Sultan Raja in December 2021. It was decided to start it's proceedings from 4th of January 2022.

PTI has opposed to hold the public hearing of the case, declined by ECP. A severe campaign against ECP is being carried out by the ruling party's cabinet ministers including some of the ruling party ministers are seen holding press conferences outside offices of Election Commission of Pakistan.

Akbar S. Babar has also accused of being victimised by PTI.

Receiving of funds from foreign institutions, country or from any individual foreigner is prohibited in the laws of the country. Once proved the charges, PTI can be black listed, banned and criminal action can be proceeded against it's Chairman Imran Khan.

However, the charges of foreign funding and money laundering cover the period from 2013-15 not from the formation of PTI in 1996 and onward 2015.

Recently, after an embarrassing defeat in first phase of Municipality Elections in province of Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa (KPK), Imran Khan dissolved the party constitution and the office bearers throughout the country has also created a critical legal situation for the ruling party in country.

Both the political party's constitution and its office bearers are basic requirement for legal standing in Election Commission of Pakistan.