SC to hear Imran disqualification case on 12th

 The Supreme Court would resume hearing of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chief Imran Khan’s disqualification case on September 12 (Tuesday).

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar, comprising Justice Faisal Arab and Justice Umar Ata Bandial will hear the case moved by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hanif Abbasi, seeking disqualification of Imran Khan and PTI Secretary General Jahangir Tareen for not disclosing their assets and ownership of offshore companies.

Imran had violated the Income Tax Ordinance (ITO) 1979 by not declaring his offshore company – Niazi Services Limited (NSL) -in his statement of assets and liabilities submitted to the Election

Commission of Pakistan, while filing his nomination papers for contesting different general elections, including the 2013 general election, the petitioner, Hanif Abbasi alleged.

He also alleged that in his declaration of assets for tax year 2014, the PTI chief had willfully concealed his investment of Rs 2.97 million to purchase a luxury apartment at Constitution Avenue’s Grand Hyatt locality in Islamabad.

It is pertinent to mention here that the apex court earlier adjourned the case as PML-N lawyer Akram Sheikh had gone to Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj. Similarly, Justice Faisal Arab was on leave and Chief Justice of SC Justice Saqib Nisar had to travel to Quetta.

Meanwhile, Islamabad High Court (IHC) Thursday directed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to provide party funding details to Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) within two weeks in a case regarding PTI’s accounts scrutiny.

Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kiyani of IHC picked up the case for hearing filed by PTI challenging the ECP jurisdiction to scrutinize the party accounts.

Rejecting the PTI’s request, the court directed the electoral body to continue its proceeding in party’s foreign funding matter in accordance of law. The bench, however, observed that the petitioner could approach the court, if he had any objection over any point in the scrutiny process.

During the course of proceedings, the counsel for the petitioner Anwar Mansoor adopted the stance that the ECP was advancing from its jurisdiction in the matter. The ECP was neither a ‘court’ nor a tribunal, he said.

He said the PTI was ready to provide details in compliance of ECP’s April 1, 2015 orders. Mansoor requested the court that the party’s accounts details should not be shared with any third party.

On which, the court asked the ECP not to share accounts record of PTI with any other party when provided by the party. However, counsel for Akber Baber contradicted the PTI counsel and argued that a common citizen was also authorised to ask details from ECP regarding assets of any political party.

Every political party was responsible to tell its funding source to electoral body in accordance with law, he added. The court adjourned hearing of the case till October 10, with directives to PTI to provide accounts details within two weeks.