Pak foreign funding case: More undeclared accounts of Imran Khan's PTI surface

More undeclared bank accounts of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have surfaced as the perusal of the Prime Minister Imran Khan-led party's financial documents continued for the second day on Tuesday.

Sources informed Dawn that as more secret PTI accounts had come to light, the petitioner Akbar S Babar, who is a disgruntled member of the party - demanded perusal of all its original accounts requisitioned through the State Bank of Pakistan which have been kept secret by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Scrutiny Committee.

The process will end today as the ECP has allowed only 40 hours for scrutiny of PTI accounts by two financial analysts nominated by Babar. The ECP is yet to decide on the latest application of the petitioner seeking perusal of the PTI's bank statements.

Talking to reporters about the proceedings, Babar questioned the logic of ECP Scrutiny Committee's refusal to allow perusal of original PTI bank statements, saying that those creating hurdles in the transparent probe of PTI accounts should realise that Pakistan's politics could change overnight as it may turn many people into 'approvers', Dawn reported.

Babar further said that Imran Khan was once a champion of neutral umpires, but unfortunately in the foreign-funding case he had done everything in his power to fix the match by using documented delaying tactics.

He further hoped that the ECP would ensure all facts were placed before it before deciding the case, adding that it could not come to a credible conclusion if incriminating facts remained hidden from it.

Last month, the estranged PTI leader then filed a petition with the ECP against the committee's decision contending that how would the auditors write down such a massive amount of data if the use of laptops was not allowed, reported The Express Tribune.

Babar had previously raised objections over the investigation by the scrutiny committee saying the panel wanted to dispose of the matter in haste. He alleged that the inquiry panel was trying to "protect" the ruling party and added that the ECP had also expressed no confidence in it in the past.

The foreign funding case against PTI continues to linger before the ECP since November 2014 when it was filed by the party's founding member Akbar S Babar.

Babar alleged serious financial irregularities in the ruling party's accounts including illegal sources of funding, concealment of bank accounts in the country and abroad, money laundering, and using private bank accounts of PTI employees as a front to receive illegal donations from the Middle East.

Earlier, ECP's scrutiny committee had refused to share PTI records by stating "learned counsel for the complainant [Babar] was told that copies of the documents submitted by the respondent [PTI] cannot be provided at this stage as the respondent seriously opposes it," said the scrutiny committee order of December 2, 2019.

( With inputs from ANI )

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