Prohibited funding case: PTI’s plea challenging verdict accepted

ISLAMABAD: The larger bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has accepted the plea filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) challenging the verdict of the prohibited funding case, ARY News reported on Friday.

The IHC larger bench announced its reserved verdict regarding the maintainability of the PTI’s plea challenging the verdict of the prohibited funding case given by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

Following the PTI’s appeal, the high court issued notices to the parties and sought reply from their lawyers in the next hearing. Yesterday, the larger bench reserved its verdict regarding the admissibility of the PTI’s plea.

READ: PROHIBITED FUNDING CASE: IHC REJECTS PTI’S PLEA TO STAY ECP’S SHOW-CAUSE

The IHC fixed the hearing of the case for August 24.

In the previous hearing, the Islamabad High Court had decided to form a larger bench to hear the PTI’s plea against the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) judgement in the prohibited funding case.

PTI’s lawyer Anwar Mansoor argued that the accounts’ information, which were provided, was not included in the electoral watchdog’s verdict. “We had told ECP that some accounts’ information was not necessary due to some reasons,” he added.

READ: PROHIBITED FUNDING CASE: FIA TO SEND ANOTHER NOTICE TO IMRAN KHAN

“A larger bench will take up the matter,” Justice Farooq remarked. Subsequently, the court fixed the matter before a larger bench and adjourned the hearing for August 18.

ECP verdict

The ECP bench in its reserved verdict said prohibited funding against PTI had been proven.

ECP, in its unanimous verdict, ruled that the party received funds from business tycoon Arif Naqvi and from 34 foreign nationals.

A three-member bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikander Sultan Raja, comprising Nisar Ahmed Durrani and Shah Muhammad Jatoi announced the reserved verdict.