The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Friday issued two notices to the ousted prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan, summoning him for hearings in two references. The Election Commission issued one notice to Khan in the foreign funding case – the verdict of which was announced earlier this week. According to the cause list issued by the election body, Khan has been summoned on August 23 at 10am. The notice has been issued after the ECP, in a unanimous verdict in the case which was filed in 2014 by PTI founding member Akbar S Babar, said it has found that the PTI received prohibited funding. Moreover, on the demand of the leadership of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), the ECP has issued another notice to the PTI chairman, summoning him on August 18 to hear a reference regarding his disqualification. A day earlier, the coalition government filed a reference with the ECP, seeking the disqualification of the ousted premier. The reference was submitted by PML-N MNA Barrister Mohsin Nawaz Ranjha to the ECP. Meanwhile, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has also opened a probe into the same case. A three-member ECP bench declared this week that the PTI received funding from prohibited sources including foreign nationals and companies in sheer violation of the Constitution and laws. The electoral body named at least 35 non-Pakistani nationals – many with Indian origin names – and over 350 companies that provided funds to the PTI by 2014. Soon after the ECP ruling was announced, the ruling coalition of PDM parties, PPP and ANP filed a reference before the ECP demanding that Imran Khan is disqualified to hold public office. The ECP has now set the reference for a hearing on August 18 while it has also called Imran Khan for a hearing about prohibited funding on August 23.
A cause list issued Friday afternoon indicated that the ECP will hold a hearing at 10am on August 23. Meanwhile, the FIA has launched a probe into prohibited funding case and formed five inquiry teams.
The teams will carry out investigations in Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar, Islamabad, and Quetta.
FIA officials say the investigators will seek records from the State Bank of Pakistan, Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan and other financial institutions.
The five teams will be supervised by a main team at the FIA headquarters.
