ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) upheld objections raised by the registrar office on the petition filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) against the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) regarding the foreign funding case.

Through its chairman Imran Khan, the PTI has filed a petition against the ECP’s jurisdiction to hear complaints filed by private persons questioning sources of party funds.

On May 8, the ECP had decided matters regarding jurisdiction and whether foreign funds received by the PTI were passed and closed transactions. It also decided the ‘locus standi’ of the complainant, Akbar S. Babar.

The document for this decision was missing from the PTI’s petition, which was pointed out by the registrar’s office. However, IHC Justice Aamer Farooq directed the PTI to submit a copy of the ECP decision with a week.

A detailed ECP judgement was issued May 31 in which the commission said it has the jurisdiction to question sources of party funds and that Mr Babar has locus standi as he is still a party member.

In his petition, the PTI chairman has once again raised a matter before the court that pertains to the application of Akbar Sher Babar.

In his petition before the ECP, Mr Babar has questioned the sources of foreign funds to the PTI. The PTI, on the other hand, has been contesting that the ECP has no jurisdiction to question the party about its sources of funds and that as a private person Mr Babar cannot file a petition before the ECP.

In this petition, the PTI has prayed to the court to suspend ECP’s May 8 order and declare it illegal and void.

The petitioner has also asked the court to declare that the accounts submitted by the petitioner are past and closed transactions and to declare that Mr Babar has no ‘locus standi’.

Earlier this year, the PTI had filed a petition in the IHC with the same contentions, saying they raised the question of maintainability before the ECP, which did not decide the maintainability and jurisdiction questions in clear terms.

On Feb 15, an IHC bench directed the ECP to decide the matter of jurisdiction and maintainability.

Published in Dawn, July 7th, 2017