ECP to decide PTI financial corruption case: Pervaiz Rashid

Lahore: Minister for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage Senator Pervaiz Rashid on Tuesday asked PTI Chairman Imran Khan to apologize for misleading the nation  and return the funds raised from foreign countries on the pretext of overthrowing the then government.

Addressing a press conference flanked by PML-N MNAs Talal Chaudhary and Daniyal Aziz here, the minister said Pakistan of today was far better than in 2011 as terrorists were now on  the run, economy was growing and power situation was improving.

The minister also presented the video clip of a television talk show in which Imran Khan admitted that he had got funding from abroad through Hundi, which was also a crime.

In light of Imran’s confessional statement it was the responsibility of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to give its verdict on the PTI financial corruption case as soon as possible, he added.

He said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) had reservations about the ECP’s lawyer, who supported the arguments of PTI’s counsel in the Islamabad High Court today.

Pervaiz Rashid said the PML-N had always respected the ECP as it was a constitutional institution. The party respected several decisions of the ECP, which were not even given in its favour, he added.

He said that Imran Khan had collected funds for the party from abroad. The way the funds were generated and used were questionable.

A founder member of the PTI had approached the ECP on the matter, but the PTI lawyer had been using various delaying tactics to linger on the case, he added.

Now the PTI, he said, had knocked the door of High Court claiming that the ECP had no jurisdiction to hear the cases of financial corruption. But strangely the PTI legal team had never raised this point in two years hearing of the case by the ECP, he added.

“Now Imran Khan is hiding himself behind the high court as he has failed to give any concrete evidence in his defence at the ECP,” he said.

He expressed reservations over the attitude of ECP’s lawyers in the court and the way they were endorsing the view point of Imran Khan there. The matter was now before the democratic and peace loving forces, he added.

The minister said that Imran Khan had collected funds in 2011 from abroad claiming that it was imperative to overthrow the then government to save Pakistan. But he failed to dislodge the government, so he should return the money to those who had donated, he added.

He said Imran Khan not only tried to mislead the people by saying that Pakistan’s future was at stake and the government had to be toppled for saving the country.