Awan strongly condemns opposition’s effort to ‘influence ECP by taking it hostage’

On Thursday, the special assistant to the Prime Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan, strongly condemned the "despicable effort" of the opposition to influence the Electoral Commission of Pakistan (ECP) by taking it as a "hostage."

Awan's statements come after the PCE ordered the daily hearing of the foreign funding case against the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI). A day earlier, the opposition Rehbar Committee had submitted a request asking the electoral commission to decide the case before the mandate of the head of the electoral commission expires next month.

In a tweet, Awan said: "The Rehbar Committee itself requires rehbari (address). They constantly present the & # 39; chor machae shor & # 39; movie flop show ".

She said the government stood firm in her position, adding: "Unlike others, it is not we who find a route of escape from responsibility."

In a later tweet, Awan said Prime Minister Imran Khan advocates accountability based on the supremacy of the state of the Constitution and without discrimination.

"The whole country is witness to whom the highest court in the country declared to be & # 39; sadiq & # 39; and & # 39; ameen & # 39; (honest and fair) and who was declared dishonest, "he added, referring to the ruling of the Supreme Court in 2017 in which Nawaz Sharif was declared ineligible to serve as prime minister.

In the opposition request filed Wednesday to PCE secretary Babar Yaqub Fateh Mohammad, representatives of eight opposition parties urged the commission to hear the case of foreign funding from the PTI on a daily basis.

The request indicated that the case of foreign financing against PTI had been pending with the ECP for the past five years.

Also on Wednesday, an ECP official said the foreign financing case against PTI was set for a hearing before the scrutiny committee on November 26.

In addition, the ECP official revealed that notices had also been issued for the PML-N and PPP lawyer, asking them to appear before the committee on the same date.

PTI legislators had submitted cases of foreign funding against PML-N and PPP. The ECP official said that notices to PML-N and PPP attorneys had been issued a week ago.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan asked the party leaders not to worry about the foreign financing case, saying that the PTI had already conducted an audit of the party's funds and that their evidence had been submitted to the courts and relevant forums

The case

The founding member of PTI, Akbar S. Babar, had presented the case in 2014, claiming that nearly $ 3 million was raised in illegal foreign funds through two offshore companies and that the money was sent through illegal channels & # 39 ; I sank & # 39; from the Middle East to the accounts of & # 39; PTI employees & # 39 ;. He also claimed that the foreign accounts used to raise funds were hidden from the annual audit reports submitted to the ECP.

In March of last year a scrutiny committee was formed to complete an audit of PTI funding sources in a month. His term was later extended for an indefinite period.

On October 10, the ECP had rejected four requests submitted by PTI for secrecy during the scrutiny of its foreign funding sources.