Over seven years after the case was filed, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) ruled on Tuesday that the PTI did receive illegal funding and gave the party a “show-cause” notice.
The notice asks the PTI to explain “why the funds mentioned above should not be seized.” In addition, the order says to start “any other action allowed by law in light of this order of the Commission.”
So, what might this next step be? Here’s what our lawyers and political experts have to say about it:
The ECP has finally decided on what should have been an open and shut case, after several years of delays caused by various interventions, both legal and political.
In a nutshell, the ECP says the PTI has received prohibited funding, such as from foreign nationals and companies. It has given the party a show cause notice, asking it to explain why these funds may not be confiscated.
In a country where political leaders have been outed as having received funding from Osama bin Laden, and where investigations led by the Supreme Court have found that an entire generation of politicians was bankrolled by the ISI, this should be the end of the matter.
However, in the finding given by the ECP, there is the necessary corollary — because as per law, a party leader must promise that his books are in order every year, and because the PTI’s books are so clearly not in order, its leader has promised falsely.
And in a country where you don’t get disqualified for being funded by intelligence agencies or by Osama bin Laden, but you are knocked out for having ‘unwithdrawn receivables’ because you are less than the standard of honesty required by the Constitution, this is the red flag.
Mahnur is MS(development Studies)Student at NUST University, completed BS Hons in Eng Literature. Content Writer, Policy analyst, Climate Change specialist, Teacher, HR Recruiter.
