PTI chief approaches SC to challenge ECP's jurisdiction in foreign funding case

Published January 25, 2020
Challenging IHC's decision on Akbar S Babar's party membership, Imran says ECP does not have jurisdiction in the matter. — EOS/File
Challenging IHC's decision on Akbar S Babar's party membership, Imran says ECP does not have jurisdiction in the matter. — EOS/File

Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan on Saturday filed a petition in the Supreme Court against the Islamabad High Court's decision of declaring Akbar S. Babar a part of PTI and reverting the case regarding the party's foreign funding back to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

A long-winding case — filed by Babar and others — regarding the scrutiny of sources of PTI's foreign funding has been pending since 2014. The case had earlier been presented to the ECP. However, the PTI had petitioned the IHC, questioning the ECP's jurisdiction in the matter.

In February 2017, the IHC had remanded back to the ECP for a fresh review of its jurisdiction. At the time, the court had also declared Akbar S Babar a part of PTI.

On May 8 of the same year, a full bench of the ECP had once again declared its complete jurisdiction over the matter and stated that the PTI had failed to produce any evidence that the petitioner had been expelled from the party and hence lost the right to question the PTI's accounts.

In March 2018, a scrutiny committee had been formed to look into PTI's foreign funding accounts to ascertain any wrongdoing.

Since then, the PTI sought secrecy in the scrutiny of its foreign funding. A request to this affect was rejected by the ECP on October 10, 2019.

In today's petition to the SC, the PTI chief has raised questions about various aspects of the case, including the IHC's declaration that Babar is a part of PTI. "Babar has not been a part of PTI since 2011. An email in which Babar tendered his resignation is part of the case record," the petition claimed, while adding that a high court cannot use Article 199 to rule on conflicting facts.

Basing his argument on the fact that Babar is not a part of PTI — which he posed to be in his 2014 petition — the PTI chief has asked the top court to declare that the ECP does not have jurisdiction to hear the case.

Opinion

Editorial

Smog hazard
Updated 05 Nov, 2024

Smog hazard

The catastrophe unfolding in Lahore is a product of authorities’ repeated failure to recognise environmental impact of rapid urbanisation.
Monetary policy
05 Nov, 2024

Monetary policy

IN an aggressive move, the State Bank on Monday reduced its key policy rate by a hefty 250bps to 15pc. This is the...
Cultural power
05 Nov, 2024

Cultural power

AS vital modes of communication, art and culture have the power to overcome social and international barriers....
Disregarding CCI
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Disregarding CCI

The failure to regularly convene CCI meetings means that the process of democratic decision-making is falling apart.
Defeating TB
04 Nov, 2024

Defeating TB

CONSIDERING the fact that Pakistan has the fifth highest burden of tuberculosis in the world as per the World Health...
Ceasefire charade
Updated 04 Nov, 2024

Ceasefire charade

The US talks of peace, while simultaneously arming and funding their Israeli allies, are doomed to fail, and are little more than a charade.