Pak election commission rejects request of Imran Khan's party PTI for confidentiality of scrutiny committee report

Islamabad [Pakistan], January 19 (ANI): The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday rejected Imran Khan's party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) request for confidentiality of scrutiny committee report in the foreign funding case.
The ECP directed authorities to make public the entire report of the scrutiny committee constituted to audit the foreign funds of the ruling PTI, reported Dawn.
The report compiled by the scrutiny committee confirmed that the PTI received funding from foreign nationals and companies, under-reported funds and concealed dozens of its bank accounts.
Later, it emerged that the report did not include eight volumes of the documents and bank statements requisitioned through the State Bank of Pakistan.
The documents concealed by the committee included all original 28 bank statements and year-wise details of foreign funds transferred to the PTI's accounts between 2009-13, reported Dawn.
The crucial pieces of evidence were kept confidential as per the committee's own desires expressed on page 83 of its report which stated that "the committee is of the considered opinion that the portions of the report which have been prepared on the basis of (PTI) bank statements obtained through the SBP may be kept confidential and classified and may not be released in the public domain."
Akbar S Babar complained that certain portions of the report had not been provided to him.
However, during today's hearing, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja directed that no segment of the report should be kept confidential and the entire report be provided to the petitioner, PTI founding member Akbar S Babar, reported Dawn.
ECP revealed that Imran Khan's party, PTI had given false information on funding received from abroad and in fact, hid its real assets to the tune of Pak Rupees (PKR) 310 million.
The report of the ECP's scrutiny committee has come like a bombshell to the party and its leader at a time when the Prime Minister stands isolated both domestically and internationally.
The PTI foreign funding case continues to linger since November 2014 when it was filed by Babar, the party's founding member.
In his petition, Babar had alleged serious financial irregularities in the ruling party's accounts, including illegal sources of funding, concealment of bank accounts within the country and abroad, money laundering and use of private bank accounts of party employees as a front to receive illegal donations from the Middle East. (ANI)