Islamabad
Pakistan’s Opposition parties on Thursday, urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to adjudicate upon the foreign funding case against the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) without any further delay alleging that Imran Khan’s party was using delaying tactics to avoid the case, a media report said.
The ECP heard the case on no less than 75 occasions and passed at least 21 orders directing the PTI to file documents and financial records, but there had been no response so far. The PTI sought written and/or oral adjournment on various pretexts to delay the case, The News International reported.
A delegation of the joint opposition comprising representatives from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Jamaat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) among other parties called on Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja and submitted a letter demanding early conclusion of the foreign funding case pending since November 14, 2014, the report said.
The opposition’s letter says there is no doubt that the PTI’s delaying tactics are meant to delay the final verdict, which is imminent, including that from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). Now there is no moral or legal reason left to further delay the case.
On January 4 this year, the ECP’s scrutiny committee, 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, the report said.
