IHC dismisses PTI’s plea against ECP notice in prohibited funding case

IHC dismisses PTI’s plea against ECP notice in prohibited funding case

Islamabad (Staff Report/Agencies): The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday dismissed PTI’s petition challenging the Election Commission of Pakistan’s (ECP) verdict in the party’s prohibited funding case.

The short verdict, which was reserved at the previous hearing, pronounced by a three-member larger bench comprising IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq, Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb and Justice Babar Sattar.

In August 2022, the election commission issued a show-cause notice to the PTI after it concluded that the party received funding from prohibited sources. The notice was later challenged in the IHC.

Last year, the electoral watchdog, in a unanimous verdict, had ruled that the party did receive millions of dollars in prohibited funds from 351 foreign companies and 34 foreign nationals, including a US-Indian businesswoman, and had ordered the issuance of a notice to the PTI, seeking an explanation as to why the prohibited funds it received should not be forfeited.