Daily Times

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday submitted a new application in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) for a speedy decision on foreign funding cases of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and other parties, a private TV channel reported. PTI leader Farrukh Habib filed a separate application in a pending case in the IHC requesting that the verdict of foreign funding cases of the PML-N, PPP and other parties be announced soon. The former minister further requested in the application that the court should order the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to conduct hearings on prohibited funding cases of other parties on a daily basis. In the application, Habib took the stand that other political parties were given an opportunity to take political advantage of the “false report against the PTI”, adding that such tactics are a direct attack on democracy. The fundamental rights of PTI and its members are being “violated”, the application read and maintained that the important questions raised in the petition should be answered for the protection of democracy. In August earlier this year, the Election Commission of Pakistan had issued its verdict in the prohibited funding case – previously referred to as the foreign funding case – against the PTI, which stated that the party did indeed receive prohibited funding. In the verdict, the commission noted that the party “knowingly and willfully” received funding from Wootton Cricket Limited, operated by business tycoon Arif Naqvi. The party was a “willing recipient” of prohibited money of $2,121,500, it said.