ECP rejects PTI plea for exclusion of petitioner from foreign funding case

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday rejected a plea of the PTI seeking exclusion of the petitioner from the foreign funding case, ARY News reported.

The ECP had in previous hearing reserved its decision on a miscellaneous petition of PTI for exclusion of petitioner Akbar S.Babar from the case.

Earlier, PTI’s lawyers Anwar Mansoor and Shah Khawar could not appear in the case hearing.

PTI’s lawyers Anwar Mansoor and Shah Khawar have not been available, a junior lawyer said in the ECP hearing. “Anwar Mansoor has been busy in Sindh and Shah Khawar in Lahore High Court,” the lawyer said.

“We had filed a plea yesterday for adjournment of the hearing today,” the counsel said. “We will challenge the election commission’s decision.

The counsel sought two weeks time for appeal. “Petitioner’s counsel has to give arguments today”, ECP’s member Balochistan Shah Muhammad Jatoi said. “Seeking repeatedly adjournment of the hearing is not a good tradition,” member Sindh Nisar Durrani remarked. “The case has returned from the scrutiny committee after several years, let the matter decided,” he further said.

“How many years the case being kept in pending,” the Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja asked.

Akbar S. Babar’s counsel will present his arguments, you note down and provide to the senior lawyer, member Balochistan told the lawyer.

ECP panel directed the petitioner’s counsel to continue his contentions.