PTI has detailed record of funding, Nawaz 'used PML-N account for money-laundering': Fawad

Islamabad: Federal Minsiter for Information and Broadcasting Chauhdry Fawad Hussain said on Tuesday that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf posesses detailed record of party funding, saying the party workers make contributions around the globe.

Addressing a press conference after cabinet meeting, the minister said the people across the globe expressed trust and confidence in Prime Minister Imran Khan.

He said the Election Commission of Pakistan had brought facts to light in the foreign funding case, claiming it has been proved today that there is no soild reason for the case.

Hussian addressed media reports about the unexplained Rs310million in the accounts, saying there were two relevant transactions of Rs150m and Rs160m which had been duplicated and therefore counted twice by the committee.

"The transaction of Rs160m was counted twice because we received money in the central account and transferred it to another. So there was duplicity in the scrutiny committee report."

Highlighting the details of the report, the minister said it showed that the PTI had 26 accounts out of which eight were non-active.

"Out of the remaining 18 accounts, eight are functional which have transactions and also show funds coming in."

He said 10 of the accounts in question did not actually belong to the PTI. "Six of the accounts are subsidiary accounts [...] and the party has distanced itself from the remaining four."

The minister claimed that it was now evident that there was "no question of foreign funding", adding that PM Imran had always given a record of each and every single penny and the PTI had done the same.

The minister called on the election commission to also conduct a scrutiny of the accounts of the two other major political parties-- the PPP and the PML-N. "It is important to have a comparison on the accounts of Nawaz Sharif and the PML-N as well as the PPP."

Replying to a question from a reporter, the minister also said that it would be better if the ECP made the report public.

"We can't make the report public, the ECP had to do it. And perhaps they should because [the lack of the report] perpetuates fake news."

He added that the ECP should either ensure that the content of the report doesn't make it to the media, or if it does then the correct information should be released.

The minister further said that PTI workers across the world "fund" the party.

"People give $10, $25, $55 or $100," he said, adding that people trust the prime minister with their money, especially since he had constructed the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital.

He said the hospital was able to provide free healthcare to 70 per cent of its patients as it received billions in donations on the basis of the premier's name.

"The people trust the prime minister's name which is also evident in our party organisation," he said.

The minister also took the opportunity to thank the PTI's chief accountant and his team for handling the party's finances for an extended period of time, reiterating that the party had an "elaborate accounting system".

"Today the party has given the ECP the record of each and every penny," he said adding 10 accounts didn't belong to the PTI.

He alleged that PML-N parton MianNawaz Sharif used the party's account for money-laundering.

Minsiter of State for Information and Broadcasting Faruukh Habib told the presser that at least nine accounts of PML-N have been identified in the ECP's scrutiny.