In an arguably controversial legal move, the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has disowned the recent public offer by Prime Minister Imran Khan to end secrecy during the scrutiny and trial of the ongoing foreign funding case. The PTI lawyer (Shah Khawar) refused access to the party’s financial documents, as was requested in a petition before the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP)’s Scrutiny Committee. The petitioner (PTI’s founding member, Akbar S Babar) claims that access to such critical documents is a legal right ratified by both ECP and IHC; building his application on PM Khan’s offer. Yet, this offer was said to be “wrongly construed” by the PTI legal team that believed it did not tantamount to providing documents and materials collected by the scrutiny committee. There has, certainly, been a lapse on the part of the ruling party and their reluctance for transparency would soon be turned into a key slogan by the Pakistan Democratic Movement opposition alliance. For over six years, both PML-N and PPP are busy highlighting the snail’s pace proceedings of this case. More recently, the ousted premier Nawaz Sharif called for money trail from PM Khan and even asked why the ECP was hesitant to sharing case details and issue a verdict. PDM has repeatedly called the foreign funding case “the biggest scandal in Pakistan’s political history,” whose central character is Khan. Amid such heated discussions, it would have served the administration better to not let any agenda drag this issue any further. By establishing transparency with regard to its funding sources, the PTI could emerge as a highly-institutionalised and accountable political party–the first of its kind in Pakistan. Going by what Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi noted, the PTI has collected funds within the ambit of the law. Ergo, it has no reason to resort to any delaying tactics if it has nothing to hide. PTI stalwarts, like Federal Information Minister Shibli Faraz, take much pride in their party breaking all political conventions of receiving donations from vested interest groups. Since they claim to not have partaken in the politics of favours–owing no obligations to anyone over investments–they should let their sources’ cat out of the chit-fund bag. PM Khan’s challenge regarding the funding case proceedings vouches for his absolute confidence in not having done anything wrong. Making his team display the same trust in their defence would be a good starting point. As for the ECP, the committee has clearly established its jurisdiction to investigate funding sources (in response to PTI’s numerous petitions.) It has also given all political parties sufficient time to build their defence. Now, it is time to speed up its proceedings with reference to allegations against ALL political parties. Only then can it dispel the notion of choosing favourites. An operation that only has PTI with a target on its back won’t do. PML-N and PPP (all political parties, for that matter) should submit details of their suspicious donations. Instead of crying wolf over the ruling party’s alleged corruption, their leaders should come clean on donations received by their parties. *