Foreign funding case: PM Imran challenges IHC decision in SC

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Saturday challenged the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) decision in the foreign funding case in the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

In the petition, PM Imran has said that Akbar S Babar, the petitioner in the foreign funding case, has not been a part of the party since 2011. He has argued that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has no right to hear the case as Babar was not a member of the PTI.

In the plea, the PTI chairman said that the IHC ignored the decisions of the apex court as well.

The premier in the petition has also stated that the IHC had declared Babar as a member of the party. He clarified that Babar had sent an email in which he had stated that he had left the party, adding that the email was on record.

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PM Imran has also stated in the petition that the high court cannot use Article 144 to issue a verdict where controversial evidence is presented.

The prime minister stated that Babar’s presence in the scrutiny committee was against the law.

Babar, a founding member of the PTI, had filed a case against the Imran Khan-led party in November 2014 claiming in his petition that there were massive financial irregularities in handling of foreign funding to the tune of nearly $3 million. 

Following the petition, the PTI challenged the ECP orders in the IHC in 2017.

Also read: Foreign funding case: ECP kicks off investigation into PPP, PML-N

In the same year, the IHC sent back the case to the electoral body to review its jurisdiction once again. In the case, the high court had also declared Babar as member of the ruling PTI.

Later on May 8, 2017, an ECP bench stated that the body had complete jurisdiction over the case. 

In March 2018, a scrutiny committee was formed to look into PTI's foreign funding accounts to determine if there was any wrongdoing.

The PTI at multiple times has sought secrecy in the scrutiny and had also approached the ECP, in this regard. However, in October of last year the ECP turned down the party's request.

The PTI chief at multiple times has accused the ECP for working for the interests of the opposition in the case.