ECP wants foreign funding details from PPP, PML-N

By
Our Correspondent

January 19, 2021

  • Scrutiny committee to issue new questionnaire to PPP, PML-N
  • PPP, PML-N counsels contend that they had not received any funds from abroad
  • Hearing held a day before PDM's scheduled protest outside ECP's office

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan's (ECP) scrutiny committee has sought foreign funding details from the opposition's Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

The committee, during a hearing at its Secretariat on Monday, informed the PPP and PML-N lawyers that a new questionnaire would be shared with them in relation to the case. 

Earlier, during a hearing, PML-N and PPP challenged the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to produce evidence that they had received foreign funds.

PPP and PML-N counsels contended that they had not received any funds from abroad. They also added that they had submitted all the relevant records to the committee and insisted that the funds were locally collected and all documents could be verified.

Read more: ECP suspends 154 lawmakers over failure to submit assets, liabilities details

However, a source privy to the proceedings, claimed that PTI MNA Farrukh Habib, who is a complainant, submitted before the committee that he had no proof of PML-N having received foreign funding. 

Upon hearing this, the PML-N lawyer urged the committee to conclude the proceedings as there was no tangible evidence produced by the complainant.

In the case against PPP, the committee again called for details of donors during its next meeting. They said the committee asked for the details on demand by the PTI’s counsel and the PPP promised to produce them in the next session.

The hearing on the issue was held a day before the Pakistan Democratic Movement's (PDM) plan to hold a protest outside the ECP's office.

The PDM is urging the ECP to issue an early judgement in the foreign funding case, filed against PTI in November 2014 by one of its senior leaders, Akbar S Babar, alleging glaring irregularities, which the ruling party denies out rightly.