ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is set to hear a complaint of petitioner Akbar S. Babar, a dissident member of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), on Monday (today) against the decision of its scrutiny committee to keep the ruling party’s documents secret in the foreign funding case.

A three-member ECP bench headed by retired Justice Irshad Qaiser had issued notices to the scrutiny committee and PTI, asking them to appear before it on March 22.

Mr Babar has claimed that the scrutiny committee’s order is “illegal and unlawful as there is no provision of law, or any legal, equitable or judicious basis for keeping secret”, as well as the dictates of Articles 4 and 10A of the Constitution.

Prime Minister Imran Khan had in a media talk offered to end secrecy in the foreign funding case, but his lawyer had disowned the premier’s statement and insisted that all PTI accounts should be kept secret from the petitioner.

Mr Babar claimed that the PTI accounts were secret because Imran Khan feared that revealing the documents could open a Pandora’s box with damaging consequences to his financial credibility.

There is speculation in media whether Imran Khan’s lawyer would argue the case on Monday or seek adjournment because the prime minister is in isolation as his coronavirus test turned positive and he could not be consulted.

Talking to reporters after a previous hearing, Akbar S. Babar said Prime Minister Khan feared that if details of the PTI’s bank accounts came to light it could reveal billions of rupees of illegal funding into the concealed PTI accounts. This could lead to charges of money ­laundering, corruption and concealment of accounts against PM Khan and others as they operated these accounts, he added.

Mr Babar said the PTI’s acknowledgment of using employees’ front accounts for fund raising was an admission of guilt and vindication of his stance of mega corruption and financial irregularity.

He regretted that the scrutiny committee had been formed in March 2018 and asked to complete scrutiny within one month, but the process was still under way. He requested the CEC to intervene.

He said the scrutiny committee and the ECP could not be separated, as the committee’s failure to conduct transparent scrutiny impacted ECP’s public standing as an independent constitutional body.

He again requested the ECP to take charge of the case and conduct scrutiny under its direct supervision.

Published in Dawn, March 22nd, 2021