- Fawad says PTI didn’t receive a single penny from any foreigner
- Spokesperson says Osama-like people not among party’s donors
Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Monday rejected allegations levelled by Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Hanif Abbasi that PTI was acquiring funds through foreign sources and non-Muslims, accusing the petitioner of attempting to malign the minorities in the country.
In its reply submitted before the Supreme Court, PTI counsels maintained that the petitioner had not submitted any evidence of the party receiving funds from prohibited sources. On the other hand, the party has submitted all relevant documents to the court, they said.
In a submission before Justice Saqib Nisar-led three-member Supreme Court bench hearing a disqualification petition against Imran Khan and Jehangir Tareen, PTI claimed that it was not alone in collecting funds from abroad as PML-N and PPP too have indulged in the same practices and have failed to make clear it before the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
The PTI counsels also stated that the petitioner alleged that the party had acquired funds from non-Muslims, which should be seen as an attack on minorities, who have had an important role to play in the country’s progress. “The constitution does not differentiate between Muslims and non-Muslims,” they said.
The senior PML-N leader seeks the disqualification of PTI leaders Imran Khan and Jahangir Tareen over non-disclosure of assets, the existence of offshore companies owned by them and for PTI being a foreign-aided party. The Political Parties Order, 2002, prohibited parties from receiving foreign funds, said Akram Sheikh, counsel for Hanif Abbasi.
He also said that the PTI received $2.3 million in foreign funding between 2010 and 2013. In its 700-page detailed reply submitted to the court, the PTI also claimed that the funding process has been transparent and funds from dual nationals have been collected.
Along with the concise statements, the party had submitted the detail of financial accounts, letter regarding fundraising and accounting policies of its internal and external audit controls, copies of CNICs, notice of termination of registration, PTI-USA-LLC FARA-Regiatration-5975 donations from individuals of the Pakistani-origin contributions and other relevant documents.
Talking to Pakistan Today, PTI’s counsel Chaudhary Faisal Hussain called the whole case a wild goose hunt launched by PML-N against Imran Khan. He also said that the cases of Nawaz Sharif and Imran Khan were not parallel. ‘In Imran’s case, thousands of pounds and dollars that he has earned is under question and we had provided the trail before the court,” he said.
Speaking at a news conference, PTI spokesperson Fawad Chaudhry said that his party has submitted details of funds it received in the Supreme Court, according to which the PTI didn’t receive a single penny from any foreigner. He claimed that Imran was the ‘only’ political leader who is trusted by the people around the world with regard to financial matters.
“This is why it is our responsibility to address reservations of the people,” he said. He said their political opponents had objected to three years’ funding of the party, but they submitted details of more than 30,000 individuals who provided funds to PTI from 2010 to 2017 in the apex court.
He said that majority of funds received by the party ranged from 10 to 15 dollars. “PTI donors do not include people like Osama bin Laden, from whom Nawaz Sharif received huge funds,” he claimed. He said that though Imran never held a public office, his party would disprove allegations against it at every forum, for it was up against a mafia.
