ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)'s counsel, Shahid Gondal, raised on Thursday objections over the petition in an illegal funding case agianst the party being heard in the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
Gondal pointed out that the petitioner, Hashim Ali Bhutta, is the son for Naseer Bhutta, who has a served as Member National Assembly for Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
He alleged that petition has been filed on the request of the PML-N as a means of political victimisation.
He further said that Naseer Bhutta had given a statement in favour of the ruling Sharif family during the hearing of the Hudaibiya Paper Mills Ltd case.
The request for disqualification of Imran Khan cannot be filed in the ECP, Gondol remarked, adding that ECP should listen to the reservations of PTI.
Moreover, PTI Chief Imran Khan again failed to submit a reply in the case.
Replying to this, Chief Election Commissioner Justice (retd) Sardar Muhammad Raza expressed his anger and said that the PTI chief hasn’t submitted reply in more than two-and-a-half years and is then showing negative attitude towards the case.
“You are trying to divert attention instead of focusing on the actual issue,” remarked Raza.
The petitioner had filed an application for disqualification of Imran from the upcoming elections alleging that his party has taken funding from illegal sources. The country’s law prohibits any political party from receiving funds from a foreign individual or organisations.
Bhutta had submitted some documents in his petition to prove his claims that PTI received around $3 million through unidentified sources in Texas and California, US.
The ECP adjourned the hearing till July 12.
Speaking to the media, the PTI counsel remarked that false cases have been submitted against Imran Khan. "The PTI chief can’t be blackmailed over false cases," he said.
In May, Justice (retd) Raza had turned down PTI’s request to adjourn the petition for an indefinite period as a 'similar case has been taken up by the Supreme Court'.