The financial accounts of the Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Party have irregular financial dealings and unexplained large transactions and the party is trying to evade accountability by claiming it was unaware of the accounts' ownership.
The party recently wrote to the Election Commission of Pakistan to 'disown' nearly a dozen bank accounts that had been opened by some of its senior-most party leaders, many of whom have served as public office-bearers in the incumbent regime, reported Dawn.
The claim that these accounts were being operated without the knowledge of the party's finance department seems not convincing at all as the party says it did itself transfer funds into these accounts at some point.
The question arises as to why such large sums are lying in accounts that it says it has no control over. This latest revelation presents serious questions regarding the PTI's oversight and control over the donations and contributions made by its supporters.
The ECP is also at fault, says the newspaper. The commission needs to pick up pace and deliver a verdict on its scrutiny of the PTI's accounts soon.
For years, the party dragged its feet in providing records and answering questions, which prolonged the review of its finances. However, the ECP, too, seems understaffed and therefore incapable of handling an investigation of such breadth and complexity.
It is clear that it needs more people and resources to monitor not just the PTIs, but every political party's records, the newspaper said.
( With inputs from ANI )
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