Islamabad (May 08, 2017): Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Monday ruled that it has jurisdiction to hear the foreign funding case against Pakistan Tehrek-e-Insaf (PTI).
According to the details, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) stance regarding constitutional jurisdiction of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to hear foreign funding case has been rejected. PTI had challenged the jurisdiction of ECP, saying that it has no authority and jurisdiction to hear the case.
The ECP heard PTI’s foreign funding case and plea to initiate contempt proceedings against Imran Khan. Chief Election Commissioner pronounced the commission’s verdict on the question of jurisdiction of ECP.
The ECP ruled that it had full authority to hear the case. PTI counsel again objected to CEC’s ruling saying that the apex court had issued directives to scrap the instant matter.
During the course of hearing, Imran Khan ‘s counsel Faisal Chaudhry, while advancing arguments submitted that the contempt case should be heard separately. Upon this, the CEC asked the counsel to submit separate application informing the court as to when the PTI Chief would submit reply in the contempt case.
Imran Khan’s lawyer told Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) retired Justice Sardar Mohammad Raza that the matter of code of conduct violation is under hearing at Supreme Court (SC) and Islamabad High Court (IHC).
CEC said that he has not received any copy of SC order yet and that the authorities have conducted dozens of elections on the same rules.
Terming the ECP’s law as infringement of rights, PTI leader Naeem-ul-Haque said that ban on ministers is valid but it is not applicable to Imran Khan as he is not having any official resources.
On April 4, PTI lawyer and former attorney general Anwar Mansur Khan had challenged ECP jurisdiction, saying that ECP could not act as a court under the Constitution.
He said that PTI had submitted information of all its accounts audited by an A-category auditor to ECP after which there was no need to present more details.
The ECP while, the bench has ordered PTI chief to submit reply in both cases till May 17.
It is to be mentioned here that PTI had challenged the ECP’s jurisdiction in the foreign funding case.
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