The Election Commission has summoned former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on August 23 to answer the show-cause notice in the prohibited funding case.
It should be noted that the case was filed by PTI founding member Akbar S. Babar and was pending since November 14, 2014. Babar had alleged serious financial irregularities in the party’s funding from Pakistan and abroad. In March 2018, a scrutiny committee was constituted to examine the PTI financing. The committee submitted its report on January 4, after 95 hearings and nearly four years.
The Commission, in its unanimous verdict, ruled that the party received funds from business tycoon Arif Naqvi and from 34 foreign nationals. It went on to say that the party had taken ownership of eight accounts and kept 16 hidden.
Unknown accounts have also come to light, said the commission in its verdict, adding that hiding accounts is a “violation” of Article 17 of the Constitution. The electoral watchdog also decided to issue a show-cause notice to the PTI to explain why the commission should not seize the funds it received. The commission also said that PTI chief Imran Khan had submitted a “misdeclaration” with the commission.
The Election Commission of Pakistan had reserved its verdict in prohibited funding case — previously referred to as the foreign funding case — after the conclusion of arguments from both sides of the case on June 21.