By Uzma Zafar
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday approached the Supreme Court seeking an early hearing of his appeal in the foreign funding case.
The prime minister, through his counsel Anwar Mansoor Khan, moved the application, maintaining his appeal against the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and Islamabad High Court (IHC) rulings declaring Akbar S. Babar, a founding member of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), a member of his party is pending disposal before it.
The ECP is pursuing the 2014 claim, filed by Babar, accusing the PTI of receiving foreign funding during years leading to and after the 2013 election. The matter pertains to the party’s membership and its pendency is damaging the party’s reputation, Imran said, urging the court to fix his appeal for March 18. The trial gained fame and momentum earlier this week following a protest of opposition parties outside the offices of the ECP in Islamabad in January to “question” the delay in the probe that has dragged on throughout the tenure of deposed prime minister Nawaz Sharif and the two-and-a-half years of the incumbent setup without a verdict.
The PTI has sought to distance itself from the case, saying its funds were gathered by “agents” who were working at odds with the instructions of then chairman Imran Khan, and as such, the party was not liable for their sources.
