Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf received funds from 34 foreign nationals and 351 foreign-based companies, says verdict

By Aamir Latif 

PAKISTAN (AA) - Pakistan's election authority on Tuesday ruled that former Prime Minister Imran Khan's party received prohibited funding, and issued it a show-cause notice.

The unanimous verdict, announced by a three-member bench of the Election Commission of Pakistan, declared that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) received funds from 351 companies and 34 individuals from US, UK, Australia, United Arab Emirates and other countries.

The individuals included Pakistani-origin business tycoon Arif Naqvi, who is facing money laundering charges in UK and US.

The bench led by Chief Election Commissioner Raja Sikander Sultan, whom the PTI accuses of being biased, also ruled that the party chairman, submitted a "misdeclaration" with the commission regarding party funding.

The election commission also found the PTI guilty of hiding 13 bank accounts linked to the party.

While opposition leaders welcomed the verdict saying the law will take its course, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry claimed there was no illegality and most of the funds came from overseas Pakistanis.

Akbar S. Babar, a founding member of PTI who fell out with Khan and petitioned the election commission in 2014, said his arguments had been accepted and asked Khan to step down from the party.

Speaking to reporters in the capital Islamabad, he said he would continue to pursue the case till its logical conclusion.

"Foreign Funding Case PTI Guilty as Accused," he said in a separate tweet.

Khan was prime minister from 2018 until this April when he was ousted in a parliament no-confidence vote.

He says he was removed in a US-sponsored conspiracy, and has been rallying his supporters for a new election, which are due in 2023.