ISLAMABAD: On Saturday, PML-N leader Mohammad Zubair demanded that PTI Chairman Imran Khan “prove” that he is sadiq (honest) and ameen (trustworthy), two qualities that are necessary for anyone holding a public office.
At a press conference in the nation’s capital, Zubair stated that the coalition parties would keep probing the PTI regarding the allegation of illegal funding.
According to Zubair, the PTI is “making excuses” to delay the judgement in the case, which the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) reserved in June.
The PML-N leader said Akbar S. Babar “has presented all evidence on how charitable money was transferred into PTI’s accounts,” referring to the PTI founder who had claimed significant financial irregularities, including funding from outside Pakistan.
He urged Imran Khan to present evidence of his status as a sadiq and an ameen and urged him to file a defamation lawsuit in London’s courts against the foreign publication.
In reference to cases brought against PML-N leaders, he claimed that party chief Nawaz Sharif was the target of “fake cases,” but he displayed all of his financial information.
He questioned why the PTI leader is avoiding being held accountable, saying, “We [PML-N leaders] have appeared in the courts several times, but Imran Khan never appeared before the courts.”
How Imran Khan’s party was aided by a cricket match in the UK
Zubair was referencing a Financial Times exposé that revealed Pakistani tycoon Arif Naqvi’s involvement in the party’s finances and how a sizable portion of its funding in 2013 came from outside the country.
“Naqvi transferred three instalments directly to the PTI in 2013 totaling $2.12m,” the report states.
The Wootton Cricket Ltd., a Cayman Islands-incorporated business owned by Naqvi, and the funds raised for charities through events like the “Wootton T20 Cup” to support PTI are at the centre of the saga.
When Naqvi founded the Abraaj Group in Dubai, one of the biggest private equity firms working in emerging markets,
According to the UK publication, each guest was required to pay between £2,000 and £2,500 in order to attend. Naqvi was quoted as saying that the funds were used for “philanthropic causes” without further explanation.
A United Arab Emirates government minister who is also a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family donated at least £2 million to Wootton Cricket, according to the FT report.
Although Wootton Cricket account information and emails for the time period between February 28 and May 30, 2013, were made available to the Financial Times (FT), it is clear that both companies and foreign nationals, as well as Pakistanis, sent millions of dollars to Wootton Cricket before the money was transferred to political parties in Pakistan.
Since Akbar S. Babar, the party’s founder, claimed serious irregularities in the party’s finances, including funding from outside Pakistan, the ECP has been looking into the party’s funding.
After seven years of litigation, the case has now been resolved by ECP. The verdict’s date has not yet been made public.
