ISLAMABAD, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib on Tuesday said Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had filed a plea in Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), seeking perusal of financial records pertaining to foreign funding of both PML-N and PPP by its financial experts during scrutiny process.
He told the media persons outside the ECP that the relief was sought on similar grounds on which a petitioner (Akbar S Babar) in the PTI’s foreign funding case was allowed to take along his financial experts during security committee meeting.
“Now it is responsibility of the ECP to entertain our petition on the same footing on which its scrutiny committee allowed a petitioner’s financial experts and chartered accountants to scrutinize record in the PTI’s case,” he said.
He said the ruling party wanted that the election watchdog should give the same right to PTI, which it had already given to another petitioner in PTI foreign funding case.
The PTI’s financial experts should be allowed for perusal of all the financial documents of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), submitted with scrutiny committee, he said, adding that “There should be a same practice for all.”
The minister said the foreign funding case against both the opposition parties was initiated in 2017, but the PML-N so far had not submitted any relevant record.
He said according to accounts details of both the parties, received by scrutiny panel from State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the PML-N did not disclose its 12 bank accounts whereas the PPP had kept details of its seven bank accounts secret.
Farrukh said the way both political parties were hiding their financial records details, had raised obvious question that whether they were using their parties’ accounts for money laundering or whiten their black money.
He advised both PML-N and PPP to avoid giving lecture on honesty, transparency and rule of law as so far they had failed to submit even a single receipt of their funding from abroad in ECP.
The minister further said the PTI had submitted lists of 40,000 donors, in addition to receipts with the scrutiny committee to clear itself in the case.
“Why they are evading the case,” he asked, adding the nation knew that both the parties had a track record of funding from abroad.
He said Late Benazir Bhutto had mentioned in her book as to how Nawaz Sharif took funding from Osama Bin Laden to topple her government while on the other hand, the PPP had so far not submitted record about transferring huge amount of money to Mark Segel from party account.
Farrukh underlined the need for hearing both the parties’ foreign funding case by ECP on fast-track basis, citing the apex court directions in Hanif Abbasi case which called upon it (ECP) for perusal of all political parties foreign funding.
Meanwhile, he paid tribute to Shuhada of July 13, 1931 when Dogra Maharaja’s soldiers opened fire on peaceful protestors and in same breath, he criticized the PML-N and PPP young leadership for misleading people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir while addressing public rallies there.
He chided Maryam Safdar for becoming daughter of every Federating unit on her visit to those areas and said she was a ‘certified liar’, which was proved after her denial of having immovable assets in London and Pakistan.
He said she had to face public embarrassment when she deleted a tweet in which she posted edited photo of Nawaz Sharif in the AJK.
Farrukh said the people of Kashmir were asking from Sharif family as to why they did not call for valley’s independence when Modi came to Lahore to attend a wedding ceremony at their residence.
He recalled the time when Nawaz Sharif was Prime Minister visited India to attend Modi’s oath taking ceremony and during his stay preferred to meet his business friend Sajjan Jandal and Bollywood stars instead of Hurriyat leaders.
He regarded Bilawal Zardari and Maryam as imposters, adding the people of AJK would give a heavy mandate to PTI and form its government there.
Farrukh said prime minister had proved himself a true ambassador of Kashmiris by highlighting the Kashmir issue vociferously at every international fora including Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), United Nations General Assembly, in meetings with former United States President, Donald Trump and others.
Follow the PNI Facebook page for the latest news and updates.
