ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday raised an objection over Deputy Attorney General Saqlain Haider representing the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PT)I as its lead lawyer in the foreign funding case.
The ECP in its detailed order has questioned the merit of Saqlain Haider representing the PTI despite being appointed as deputy attorney general.
The order states: “Saqlain Haider, learned counsel for the respondent who is stated to have been appointed as Deputy Attorney General, had no right to appear for political party against the interest of the state.”
It further states that the PTI lawyer should rather protect the state and not the party which are two completely different entities.
“The learned counsel should have preferred the state over the interests of a political party after his present appointment as Deputy Attorney General,” it added.
On PTI’s demand to exclude the petitioner and its founding member Akbar S Babar from the scrutiny process, the order states: “The request for exclusion of the complainant from the scrutiny was not justified because the latter had to provide material evidence to the committee.”
In 2014, on the application filed by Akbar S Babar, the foreign funding case was heard for a long time at ECP. A special committee was formed in March 2018 for the purpose.
The committee had asked PTI for the details of its accounts against which PTI had challenged the authority of the ECP.