Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb has said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has been “declared a foreign-aided party” after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ruled that the “party did indeed receive illegal funding”.
“The PTI and Imran Khan have been caught receiving foreign aid… The PTI has been declared foreign-aided party only formal procedure is due,” she said while addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Saturday.
In its written order issued on August 2, the electoral watchdog had said the Imran Khan-led party received millions of dollars in illegal funds from foreign countries, including the United States, the United Arab Emirates, the UK, and Australia.
“The office is also directed to initiate any other action under the law, in light of this order of the Commission,” stated the 68-page judgement.
The ECP also declared that 13 ‘unknown’ accounts have been found linked to the party and the submissions by PTI chief Imran Khan were ‘inaccurate and wrong’.
Marriyum said former prime minister and PTI Chairman Imran Khan received funding from foreign nationals and foreign companies to harm the country’s interests.
“He spread political instability in the country… shutdown CPEC and damaged Pakistan’s ties with friendly countries to isolate Pakistan on the world stage,” she alleged.
The federal minister also said unlike PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, who was convicted in assets beyond means case, by using “entire state power and using Black’s law dictionary,” the funding case against the PTI was based on “concrete evidence” and was not about “technicalities”.
Imran submitted a “fake affidavit” to the top electoral watchdog about his party funds and remained tight-lipped for eight years about allegations that his party received funds from foreign nationals, she said. “You have been found guilty and now you cannot escape on technical grounds…”
The information minister further said Imran’s reality had been exposed after the ECP verdict and demanded that he should be punished for violating the Constitution and lying to the nation.
She said Imran used charity money for political purposes and dragged overseas Pakistanis into domestic political affairs for political gains.
