'ECP gave political verdict', Fawad on PTI prohibiting funding case

While talking to ARY News programme ‘11th Hour’ today, Fawad Chaudhry predicted that the ECP verdict will be nullified by the court in one go.

He termed the ECP verdict in the PTI prohibited funding case ‘political’ but not the legally and constitutionally valid. He added that it was election commission’s duty to annually scrutinise the funds of all political parties.

The PTI leader said that the ECP bench has just read the verdict which was allegedly written by the law minister. He criticised that the commission admitted its ineligibility before the court when it excused from organising the elections.

He also spotted an ‘illegal order’ of the commission in the verdict as the institution breached its jurisdiction by recommending the government to take further legal action against the PTI.

Fawad said that PTI’s legal team will challenge the verdict after completing its consultation on the ECP verdict. He was of the view that the current rulers and ECP opened a new front against the overseas Pakistanis.

Earlier in the day, the ECP announced the much-awaited verdict in the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) prohibited funding case.

The ECP bench in its reserved verdict said prohibited funding against PTI has been proven.

ECP, in its unanimous verdict, ruled that the party received funds from business tycoon Arif Naqvi and from 34 foreign nationals.

A three-member bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja, comprising Nisar Ahmed Durrani and Shah Muhammad Jatoi announced the reserved verdict.

The ECP also said that former prime minister Imran Khan submitted misdeclaration in the PTI prohibited funding case. The electoral watchdog also decided to issue a show-cause notice to the PTI to explain why the commission should not seize the funds it received.