PTI hid 53 bank accounts, funds worth millions of rupees from ECP: report

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Supporters PTI political party attend a celebration rally in Islamabad on July 30, 2017. — Reuters/File
Supporters PTI political party attend a celebration rally in Islamabad on July 30, 2017. — Reuters/File
  • PTI disclosed only 12 out of 65 accounts to the ECP.
  • The party hid funding worth Rs310 million.
  • PTI’s actual funding was Rs1.64bn, but it disclosed Rs1.33bn.

The ruling PTI hid 53 bank accounts and funds worth millions of rupees from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), the report of an ECP scrutiny committee probing the party’s funds revealed Tuesday.

The committee’s report showed that the PTI had only disclosed 12 out of its 65 accounts, which are registered with the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

The report stated that in the years 2008/2009 and 2012/2013, the PTI disclosed funding worth Rs1.33 billion against an actual amount of Rs1.64 billion which was reflected in SBP’s bank statement. Therefore, the party did not disclose funding worth Rs310 million.

The scrutiny committee was formed in 2019 to audit foreign funding received by the PTI. The case began in 2014 when the party’s founding member, Akbar S Babar, had filed it.

Babar had alleged that the PTI received funding from illegal sources and that the party was also involved in money laundering, according to Dawn.

‘PTI collects funds transparently’

Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Asad Umar earlier in the day said PTI had the “most transparent” process of receiving funds as everything was documented.

Talking to journalists outside the ECP office in Islamabad, the minister said scrutinising bank accounts related to foreign funding of political parties was the ECP’s job.

However, he stressed that the commission must do its work in the most transparent and impartial way.

“If ECP accomplishes its work transparently and impartially, it would have a very positive impact on Pakistan’s politics,” he said.

The federal minister said scrutiny committees for bank accounts of PPP and PML-N had also been formed, and the ECP should also review reports prepared for those parties’ bank accounts.

“There are a large number of secret accounts of the PPP and PML-N in addition to other accounts opened in the names of fake persons,” the federal minister said.


— Additional input from APP



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