ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) filed another petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday to restrain the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) from proceeding in the foreign funding case.

The petition was heard by IHC Justice Aamer Farooq. PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s counsel maintained before the court that the ECP is a respondent in an identical case pending before the Supreme Court.

Justice Farooq, however, declined the PTI’s request to restrain the ECP from performing its lawful responsibilities.

The counsel said the petitioner had filed an application for a stay of proceedings before the ECP stating that the PTI has filed a petition before the IHC against an order passed by the ECP on May 8.

Meanwhile, he said, a petition was filed before the SC by local politician Mohammad Hanif Abbasi against the PTI and Mr Khan.

Mr Abbasi’s petition is fixed for rebuttal and pending decision in the SC, the PTI’s counsel said. The ECP has chosen to give details of the foreign funding case when the same was never asked for and has therefore become a party in the proceedings.

He said the PTI had already filed an application for a stay of proceedings by the ECP before the IHC, which is still pending adjudication and no response has been filed by the respondents, including the ECP, to date.

On Aug 16, the ECP dismissed the PTI’s application for a stay.

Published in Dawn, August 23rd, 2017