ISLAMABAD: Following the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) verdict over the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf prohibited funding case, the incumbent government on Tuesday decided to place the names of PTI leaders on the Exit Control List (ECL).
The government has decided to include the names of former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser, former Sindh Governor Imran Ismail, Ahad Rasheed, Samar Ali Khan, Seema Zia, and Najeeb Haroon.
Jahangir Rahman, Khalid Masood and Zafarullah Khattak will also not be able to go abroad after being named in the ECL.
A three-member ECP bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikander (CEC) Sultan Raja announced the verdict in a case filed by PTI founding member Akbar S. Babar which had been pending since November 14, 2014. The verdict, which was reserved on June 21, was expected at 10am but was delayed by almost half-an-hour.
In the written verdict the commission noted that the party “knowingly and willfully” received funding from Wootton Cricket Limited, operated by business tycoon Arif Naqvi. The party was a “willing recipient” of prohibited money of $2,121,500, it said. It went on to say that the party also received donations through PTI Canada Corporation and PTI UK Public Limited Company. “From both the companies, the amounts received into its accounts of PTI Pakistan are hit by prohibition and in violation of Pakistani laws.” –Agencies
