IHC nullifies order of announcing PTI foreign funding case in 30 days

ISLAMABAD, June 16: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday wrapped up an intra-court appeal and annulled a previous order to decide on PTI foreign funding case within 30 days.
The court in its order said that it expects the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to decide on foreign funding cases of other parties within an appropriate timeframe. “We have no doubt that the ECP will treat all parties equally,” the verdict announced by a division bench comprising CJ IHC Athar Minallah and Justice Babar Sattar.
It said that the ECP has not yet issued an order in any case and a representative of the commission has assured indiscriminate action against all parties.
The written verdict said that the ECP representative shared that the action in the foreign funding case is being carried out under Political Parties Order 2002 and the appeal against the applicant (PTI) is being pending since 2014.
“The action against other parties was initiated later and we have also sought details of their accounts from the State Bank of Pakistan,” the ECP official said. In April this year, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) suspended single-bench order directing the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to decide foreign funding case against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) within 30 days.
A two-judge bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) suspended the single-bench ruling in PTI foreign funding case till the next hearing on May 17. The Pakistan PTI had challenged an order of the IHC to the ECP that the foreign funding case be decided within 30 days.
Asad Umar, the party’s secretary-general, filed the appeal against the order of a single-member bench which directed the ECP to conclude the proceedings in the foreign funding case within 30 days. -DNA