PM Imran Khan welcomes ECP's scrutiny of PTI foreign funding

Islamabad: Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has welcomed the scrutiny of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) foreign funding by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

Taking to twitter on Wednesday, responding to the ECP’s scrutiny committee report, the prime minister said the more accounts are scrutinized the more factual clarity will emerge for the nation to see how the PTI is the only political party with proper donor base premised on proper political fund raising.

میں ECP کیجانب سےسمندرپارپاکستانیوں کےعطیات پرمشتمل PTI کی فنڈنگ کی پڑتال کا خیرمقدم کرتا ہوں۔ ہمارےنظمِ مال کو جتنا کھنگالا جائیگااتنی ہی صراحت سےحقائق واضح ہونگےاور قوم سمجھ سکےگی کہ کیسے PTI ہی وہ واحدسیاسی جماعت ہےجسکا نظمِ مال پولیٹیکل فنڈریزنگ کےاُس مربوط نظام پرمشتمل ہےجس

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) January 5, 2022

The prime minister said he looks forward to similar the election commission's scrutiny on the funding of two other major political parties including the PPP and the PML-N.

کی بنیادیں باضابطہ ڈونرز پر استوارہیں۔ میں ECP کیجانب سےدیگر2بڑی جماعتوں -ن لیگ+پی پی کے مالیات کی اسی قسم کی پڑتال کا منتظرہوں۔اس سے قوم کوباضابطہ پولیٹیکل فنڈریزنگ اور قوم کی قیمت پر نوازشات کےبدلےسرمایہ دار حواریوں+مفادپرست گروہوں سےمال اینٹھنےکےمابین فرق سمجھنےمیں مدد ملےگی۔

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) January 5, 2022

He said this will allow nation to see difference between proper political fund raising and extortion of money from crony capitalists and vested interests in exchange for favors at nation's expense.

A day earlier, the Scrutiny Committee formed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to probe the foreign funding case against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has revealed that the PTI hid funds worth Rs310 million and 65 accounts. 

In its report submitted to the ECP on Tuesday, the committee said that the PTI did not disclose banks accounts of two banks during 2008-2009 as only 12 out of 77 accounts were revealed. It also revealed that the PTI provided wrong information regarding the gifts. 

As per report of PTI foreign funding case has been made public by the ECP, revealing that the PTI hid funds worth 310 million rupees.

According to the report, the PTI did not disclose the two bank accounts of 2008 and 2009, funds of Rs1.33 billion and 2.2 million were disclosed from 2008 to 2013. “The SBP revealed that the PTI has 65 banks accounts as per the records.”

The report states that in the years 2008, 2009, 2012 and 2013, the PTI disclosed donations of Rs1.33 billion to the ECP, provided incorrect information regarding the donations. The SBP statement shows the PTI received donations of Rs1.64 billion.

A report of scrutiny committee has revealed that income and expenses of the party during the period of 2009 to 2013 do not match. “PTI did not disclose banks accounts of two banks during 2008-2009 as only 12 out of 77 accounts were revealed,” it added. 

Furthermore, the cash receipts provided by the audit firm also do not correspond to the bank accounts. As per the report, that during a period of five years the PTI hid funds worth 310 million rupees.

Earlier in the day, the committee formed to scrutinize the PTI accounts presented its report in the Election Commission of Pakistan.

The chief election commissioner was directed to give copies of the report to all the parties, rejecting the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) representative request to keep the content secrete till the submission of all the replies.

The chief election commissioner said that he is not in the position of blocking anyone from not making the report public.