Khan accused of misusing $2m party funds

Former PTI office bearer asks ECP to probe financial bungling in party accounts, accuses PTI chairman of patronising corrupt party members

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) former vice president Akbar S Babar Friday filed a petition with the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to probe financial irregularities in PTI.

Accompanied by PTI members and lawyers, Babar submitted the petition to ECP’s Additional Director General Masood Malik.

Talking to reporters, Babar said that the filing of the petition was the starting point of a legal battle that would culminate in cleansing the PTI of corruption and the corrupt.

“After waiting for three years in the hope that the PTI leadership would take notice of documented corruption in the party and hold the corrupt accountable, I had no option but to pursue the legal course,” said Babar.

Babar, a founding member of PTI, said the party was formed to cleanse the decaying political system and ensure transparency and accountability but it was heading towards becoming a conventional political party instead.

“PTI is a national asset and must be saved from corruption,” he said.

He alleged that workers who were with the PTI for years for the cause of “change”, were increasingly becoming despondent as there was no justice, accountability and merit in the party.

Babar said that PTI Special Audit Report commissioned in March 2013 at his request, had proved that PTI’s accounts were in shambles.

Giving an example of misuse of party funds, he said around $2 million had been received from PTI members in the United States between February 2010 and June 2013 only for the opening of PTI district offices but alleged that not a single office had been opened with that money.

“The report substantiated the fears I expressed to party Chairman Imran Khan in September 2011 that donations for the party had gone into private bank accounts of PTI employees,” said Babar, adding that even at that time he had demanded a “forensic audit” of PTI accounts and formation of an accountability commission.

Babar alleged that the special auditor was not given full information and was denied the right to conduct audit of party expenses, including that of donations received for the 2013 elections and expenses incurred.

Such actions had created the impression that corruption is being protected and patronised by the top PTI leadership, he added.

Babar lamented the fact that the PTI chairman, instead of taking swift action against the corrupt in late 2011, decided to ignore them and chose to protect and patronise them.