ISLAMABAD: The scrutiny committee of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday yet again failed to make any progress in the foreign funding case against the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).

The committee will continue the scrutiny process on Friday.

Sources said despite acknowledging existence of its accounts in Britain, the United States, Canada and elsewhere the PTI continued to refuse to share bank statements with the committee.

They said even after agreeing to five-year scrutiny of its accounts from 2009, the PTI has now refused to share financial details for the year 2013. The committee had issued instructed the PTI to submit its accounts from 2009 to 2013.

Petitioner Akbar S. Babar, who is a founding member of the PTI, was represented in the case by Advocates Syed Ahmad Hassan Shah, Badar Iqbal Chaudhery and Dawood Khan.

ECP committee to continue scrutiny process today

Mr Shah repeatedly argued before the committee to ask the PTI to share its documents.

Syed Khawar Shah, Mohammad Arshad and other financial representatives appeared before the committee on behalf of the ruling party.

The committee was formed in March 2018 to complete scrutiny of PTI accounts in one month.

During the hearing on June 2 this year, the petitioner’s lawyer had expressed serious reservations over the pace of scrutiny of PTI’s accounts.

Then the ECP had ordered the scrutiny committee to conclude its job by August 17 and submit its report.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, petitioner Akbar S. Babar said if the PTI was serious about accountability it would not have delayed the case for almost six years.

He said the purpose of any accountability drive was to improve work ethics, efficiency and basic values for improved governance and economic growth, but over the past few years accountability had only worsened governance and strangulated economic growth.

Published in Dawn, August 7th, 2020