ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has said that he holds the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in high esteem.

In a statement submitted to the ECP on Monday in response to a contempt notice issued to him, he said that no contempt was meant or intended and that there was no basis, in fact or in law, for even inferring any such intent.

On Jan 9, an application was filed by the PTI in response to the ECP’s order of Dec 1, asking the party to present financial documents in a case filed in November 2014 by PTI’s former vice president Akbar S. Babar who alleged corruption in managing donations received from allegedly illegal foreign sources.

The ECP found the language of the application contemptuous because it had been accused of being biased against the PTI in the foreign funding case.

The review application had finally been withdrawn and an apology tendered by the PTI lawyer on Jan 16.

However, Mr Babar filed a contempt petition against Mr Khan. The petition contended that the PTI’s application seeking review of the order to present financial documents contained statements which were “reprehensible, scandalous and contemptuous towards the commission”.

It stated that after the unconditional apology tendered by the PTI lawyer and withdrawal of the contemptuous review application, rather than being remorseful, the respondent had publicly denounced the need for due apology and yet again undermined the commission.

Mr Khan said in his statement submitted to the ECP that he had not been briefed by his counsel about the Jan 16 proceedings when he was rushing to attend the hearing of the Panama Papers case on Jan 17 and through his comments he had simply declared lack of knowledge about the matter.

He said this was the substance of the impugned remarks which he alleged had deliberately been distorted by the petitioner.

“It has been the consistent and avowed belief of the answering respondent that an autonomous, strong, financially and administratively independent commission is the sine qua non for holding of free and fair elections. Towards that end, under the chairmanship and direction of the answering respondent, the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has submitted a number of proposals to the Parlia­mentary Committee on Electoral Reforms to further strengthen this august institution. These are a matter of public record and public knowledge,” the statement said.

Mr Khan said the application seeking review of the order to present financial documents stood withdrawn by the same counsel who had drafted, signed and filed it.

“The answering respondent has not contested the said withdrawal, which establishes his bona fides in the context of the false allegations of the petitioner.”

The statement said the remarks ostensibly forming the basis of the contempt application had been presented out of context by the petitioner in an attempt to prejudice the commission against him.

Published in Dawn, May 30th, 2017