ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday asked party leaders not to worry about the foreign funding case against the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ordered hearing of the case on a day-to-day basis.

Addressing a meeting with government spokespersons at Prime Minister Office, Mr Khan said that the PTI had already got audit of the party funds conducted and its proof had been submitted to the courts and relevant forums.

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan said Imran Khan was of the view that the ECP could try any case, but it was the government request to hear cases of all three major parties — PTI, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) simultaneously.

Says Nawaz sent abroad on basis of his medical reports

“We have already filed applications in the ECP for probing the party funding of PPP and PML-N; therefore, we demand that the commission should hear cases of three parties at the same time and not to single out PTI,” Mr Khan was quoted as saying. “Party members should not be worried regarding the foreign funding case because party funds have already been audited and their reports have been presented before the courts,” he added.

The meeting also discussed the speech of Chief Justice of Pakistan Asif Saeed Khosa in which he said Prime Minister Khan himself had allowed Nawaz Sharif to leave the country. At the meeting, Mr Khan asked the party leaders not to give any statement about the chief justice.

“The government will discuss the issue with the party’s legal team and then it will decide whether to respond to the statement of the chief justice or not,” Ms Awan said.

Mr Khan also spoke on the departure of the former prime minister in the backdrop of criticism on social media that why Nawaz Sharif, who did not look in critical condition in a footage in London, had been allowed to leave the country. Mr Khan said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders had been exposed. “People are seeing Nawaz Sharif’s activities in London,” he added.

He said the sons of Nawaz Sharif, who received him in London, had been declared proclaimed offenders by the accountability court of Islamabad. He said Nawaz Sharif was allowed to leave the country on the court’s order and on the basis of medical reports.

Talking about criticism of the opposition against the government, he said the opposition was scared of the government’s success in stabilising the economy.

The meeting also reviewed a speech of the chairman of the National Accountability Bureau, Javed Iqbal, in which the latter hinted at holding the government accountable for its 14 months in power.

The prime minister was of the view that NAB was an independent organisation and the government would not create any obstacle in its way.

About the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-F’s dharna in Islamabad, the prime minister said Maulana Fazlur Rehman was trying to cover up his failure of his flopped agitation progamme.

“Maulana’s politics is over,” he added.

Published in Dawn, November 21st, 2019