ISLAMABAD: The PTI on Tuesday rejected the ruling of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) that the party receiving prohibited funding.
The ECP, in a unanimous verdict, said the commission found that 34 foreign donations were taken in fundraising. The donations were taken from America, Australia, Canada, and the UAE.
In addition, PTI took funds from an American businessman, the ECP said.
The commission added that hiding accounts is a “violation” of Article 17 of the Constitution in its conclusion that “unknown accounts” had also come to light.
The PTI Chairman Imran Khan submitted a bogus Nomination Form I, and the affidavit presented regarding party accounts was false, according to the ECP’s findings.
Fawad Chaudhry, senior vice president of the PTI, said in a press conference held after the decision that abroad Pakistanis donated money to the party and that the ECP had agreed with their claim that this did not constitute “foreign funding.”
The PTI will demonstrate the 16 accounts are legitimate in the following phase, in addition to the fact that they are “subsidiary accounts,” according to Chaudhry.
The PTI leader stated that “no party has the right to conceal its finances from the people.”
In the funding case against the PPP and PML-N, he urged that the election authority disclose its decision after the PTI.
Later, the PTI leader claimed in a tweet that the ECP members and Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja had “poor” legal backgrounds and had not been able to “differentiate between an affidavit and certificate.”
