ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has adjourned till July 12 the hearing of a petition seeking disqualification of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan on charges of collecting party funds through “prohibited” means.

The ECP bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) retired Justice Sardar Mohammad Raza on Thursday adjourned the case after the PTI’s counsel submitted objections to the petition filed by a citizen, Hashim Ali Bhutta.

However, before adjourning the case, the CEC expressed displeasure over the PTI’s move, saying that they were planning to adjourn the hearing for an indefinite period as per Mr Khan’s request during the previous hearing after receiving a response from him on the points raised by the petitioner.

Mr Khan’s lawyer Shahid Gondal told the ECP that the petitioner was the son of a former PML-N MNA and he had filed the petition on behalf of the ruling party. He requested the ECP to hear his objections before moving ahead in the case.

In May, the ECP had turned down the request of Imran Khan to adjourn the hearing for an indefinite period on the grounds that the similar matter was also being taken up by the Supreme Court.

With his petition, Mr Bhutta had attached some documents claiming that the PTI had received around $3 million through various sources in Texas and California in the US.

Mr Bhutta’s counsel, Sharafat Chaudhry, during the last hearings had argued that Imran Khan, being the party head, had submitted a certificate from 2010 to 2015 stating that the PTI had not collected funds through “prohibited means”, whereas he had submitted the evidence that the PTI funds were collected through “prohibited” means.

The CEC had offered the PTI’s lawyer that the ECP could consider his request for a long adjournment, but only after receiving a response from Imran Khan.

The ECP had already adjourned the hearing of similar petitions seeking disqualification of Imran Khan and PTI secretary general Jehangir Tareen for an indefinite period on the same ground that the Supreme Court was also hearing the matter.

Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2017