Necessary to probe source of PTI’s funds, says Hanif Abbasi’s counsel
Hearing adjourned till September as Abbasi's counsel is travelling to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj
August 03, 2017
ISLAMABAD: Akram Sheikh, counsel for PML-N’s Hanif Abbasi, on Thursday said it is necessary to probe the source of PTI’s funds during the hearing of apetition seeking Imran’s disqualification for concealing his assets and the ‘foreign funding’ of his party.
A three-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar and comprising Justice Umar Ata Bandial and Justice Faisal Arab, conducted on Thursday proceedings into Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hanif Abbasi’s petition.
Akram was rebutting the defence presented by the PTI chief's counsel.
Sheikh also argued over the money trail of Imran's properties.
The chief justice observed that Imran had declared his Bani Gala property in the nomination papers for the 2002 elections.
It is being proved from the bank records that the money was brought from abroad. Is it also necessary to prove the loan, observed the chief justice.
In response, Sheikh said it was mandatory to declare assets on page seven of the electoral form. Referring to Nawaz Sharif’s disqualification in the Panama Papers case, he said when a son didn’t give his father 10,000 Dirhams as per an agreement the father was disqualified.
Justice Bandial remarked that if you have to read the judgment, read all of it. “You must read page nine of the electoral form in detail,” he commented.
The hearing was then adjourned till September as Abbasi's counsel is travelling to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj.
The chief justice observed on Wednesday that the law does not permit collection of funds from international companies, saying the PTI chairman’s counsel will have to clarify this matter. The bench also summoned, for the second time, a copy of Imran Khan’s passport for verification of the ‘non-resident’ status.
At Wednesday's hearing, Abbasi's counsel contended “how someone who submitted a false certificate be considered sadiq [honest] and amin [truthful]".
Justice Bandial observed that the receipt of prohibited funds has to be established first. The chief justice remarked that it is the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) job to determine if prohibited funds were acquired by the PTI.
In response, Sheikh contended that the ECP has no say in this matter, and that if a commission [by the ECP] is formed, it should be asked to completely probe the matter.
