ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday turned down request of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) seeking stay order in case being heard at Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) against the party on the allegation of receiving foreign funding.
Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani rejected the requests while hearing the plea moved by PTI through its counsel Faisal Chaudhry challenging ECP’s decision of ordering examination of audited accounts of PTI on the allegations of receiving foreign funding.
Justice Kayani remarked that the case has been being heard since 2014 and had already once been referred back to the ECP.
Ordering the ECP and the petitioner to submit their replies, Justice Kiyani adjourned the case until further notice.
Faisal Chaudhry argued that the case did not fall under ECP’s jurisdiction to hear foreign funding case. He urged the court to grant an injunction in the case.
He said that assuming jurisdiction and opening past and closed transactions was in violation of laws adding that Akbar S Babar who approached ECP had no locus standi under Article 6 of the PPO, 2002 as well.
Akbar S Babar’s petition alleged that nearly $3 million in illegal foreign funds were collected through two offshore companies, registered under Imran Khan’s signature, and that money was sent through illegal “hundi” channels from the Middle East to accounts of the PTI.
He also alleged that the foreign accounts used to collect funds were concealed from the annual audit reports submitted to the ECP.
