ECP summons Imran Khan on Sep 14 over contempt of court issue
September 01, 2017
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday summoned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan on September 14 in a contempt of court case.
A written order by the commission said that an inquiry against the PTI chief will be initiated under contempt of court ordinance if he fails to appear before the court.
ECP had on August 19 issued a show cause notice to Imran and was asked to submit his reply till August 23 after the commission said that it has jurisdiction to hear contempt proceedings.
The ECP had issued the contempt notice to Khan on January 24 over his “scandalous remarks” about the commission.
The Islamabad High Court on August 29 had reserved its judgement regarding the maintainability of the petition filed against PTI in the ECP.
The high court was hearing the case in which PTI counsel Anwar Mansoor presented his arguments. Mansoor in his remarks said that the ECP is exceeding its jurisdiction.
“The ECP is neither a court nor a tribunal,” he stated, adding that the institution cannot issue orders of handing over the party’s documents to another.
The PTI had challenged the ECP’s decision to hear a contempt case against PTI chief Imran Khan.
The PTI had petitioned the IHC seeking an end to the contempt of court hearing against Imran by the ECP with regards to the 'foreign funding' case under way against PTI in the ECP.
Akbar Babar, the petitioner who had filed the foreign funding case against the PTI leadership, had informed the ECP that the PTI chief had accused it of being biased in the foreign funding case following which his counsel tendered an apology with the commission.
