ISLAMABAD: In response to Imran Khan's ongoing accusations against the chief election commissioner, Prime Minister Shabaz Sharif on Tuesday urged the Election Commission of Pakistan to release the "long-delayed" decision on the PTI foreign funding matter.
The premier urged the Election Commission to render a decision in the matter that was reserved on June 21 following a year-long hearing on Twitter today.
In reaction to PTI Chairman Imran Khan's criticism of CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja, Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif tweeted, "I urge the Election Commission of Pakistan to announce the long-delayed judgement on PTI foreign funding case."
The prime minister claimed that despite Imran Niazi's frequent and shambolic attacks on government institutions, he has long received a free pass.
"The country was harmed by the impunity granted to him."
A day after Imran Khan once more called for the CEC's resignation despite his party's overwhelming victory in the Punjab by-elections, which were not subject to any claims of rigging, the prime minister urged the early publication of the results.
Following a core committee meeting in Islamabad on Monday, Imran gave an address through video link in which he declared, "We have no faith in this Chief Election Commissioner; he should quit." Although the Election Commission and all political parties are aware that money is used in the closed-door Senate elections, the Election Commissioner who oversaw the Senate election disregarded that knowledge.
He continued by saying that Yusuf Raza received an extraordinary amount of funding for the most recent Senate elections.
Case of prohibited funding
Akbar S. Babar, a founding member of the PTI, filed the illegal funding lawsuit in November 2014, alleging major financial irregularities in the party's funding from Pakistan and overseas.
The party, however, maintains that there has been no misconduct and that the cash does not come from illegal sources.
On January 4, it was discovered in a report from an ECP scrutiny committee looking into the party's finances that PTI had concealed funds from the commission worth millions of rupees.
According to the report, the PTI gave the ECP "false information" on the party's funding. It claimed that the party had received Rs1.64 billion in finance as evidenced by a bank statement from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).
The study claims that the party failed to disclose funding worth more.
