Raising funds from foreign countries not prohibited: PTI counsel

ISLAMABAD: The funding from foreign countries has not been prohibited, PTI’s counsel argued in the election commission hearing, ARY News reported Tuesday.

A three-member bench of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) headed by CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja heard the case.

“The funding from some specific sources has been banned, ambiguity has been removed in the election law,” PTI counsel Anwar Mansoor said.

“The scrutiny committee said it had conducted forensic test of the funds, the case against the PTI has been made on political grounds,” Anwar Mansoor claimed.

“I will conclude my arguments tomorrow,” he told the ECP panel.

The PTI has produced all its funding record in the election commission, the lawyer earlier said.

He said the scrutiny committee decided its jurisdiction. “If it could go beyond the legal perameters to set its jurisdiction,” he posed question. The committee declared that the PTI funding could not meet its standards, how could the scrutiny committee act beyond the set international rules, Anwar Mansoor further questioned.

“PTI had to submit its funding sources to the election commission. It was not necessary, who played what role in the funding,” he argued.

“Raising funds from foreign countries has not been prohibited, only funding from some specific sources has been banned, this ambiguity has been removed from the Election Act,” the counsel argued.

“What procedure is given in the party’s constitution with regard to funding, whether foreign funding can be accepted,” ECP member Nisar Durrani questioned the lawyer.

“We have submitted all record to the election commission and the scrutiny committee, the PTI collects funds from foreign countries under the FARA rules,” lawyer replied. “The party has submitted its record of foreign funding in the election commission,” he said.

The ECP bench adjourned further hearing of the case till tomorrow (Wednesday).