Pakistan: ECP to announce verdict in PTI’s foreign funding case today at 10am

Insight Online News

Islamabad, Aug 2 : The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will announce its verdict in the PTI prohibited funding case, which it reserved on June 21 on Tuesday at 10am, Geo News reported.

The ECP on Monday released the cause list for the case, which said that the verdict will be announced by a three-member bench led by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja.

The decision to announce the verdict comes after a Financial Times exposé revealed that the PTI received funding from Wootton Cricket Club belonging to Abraaj founder Arif Naqvi. The funds were generated through a charity match and an Arab personality also pitched in a large sum of money.

The FT report provided political ammunition to the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) against the PTI, and they demanded an early announcement of the verdict, in the case which was filed in 2014 by PTI founding member Akbar S Babar.

Earlier, ECP officials, said that the election commission will announce the foreign funding verdict during the first week of August.

The sources said that the PTI would only harm itself if it files a reference against the CEC as certain matters which were earlier hidden from public view would be revealed during the hearings.

They said that the ECP is a constitutional body and will continue to follow the constitutional path.

When the attention of these sources was drawn to the announcement of PTI Chairman Imran Khan to file a judicial reference against the ECP and the CEC, they said that this was an attempt to create a smoke screen ahead of the verdict.

UNIINDIA