Pakistan election commission says Imran Khan's party accepted illegal donations

Tue, August 2, 2022 

Pakistan's ex-premier Imran Khan's party accepted millions of dollars in illegal funds from foreign individuals and groups, the election commission ruled Tuesday.

The case dates back to 2014 when a disgruntled founding member of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) filed a case against his party leadership accusing it of financial irregularities.

The Election Commission Pakistan found that Khan's party concealed 16 bank accounts and accepted donations from foreigners or foreign groups based in Australia, Canada, the UAE and the Cayman Islands.

Pakistani law bars political parties from receiving funds and donations from foreign individuals and companies.

The commission also said that financial details submitted by Khan were "found to be grossly inaccurate".

Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif -- who came into power in April after Khan's ouster -- said the commission's verdict showed "yet again that he (Khan) is a certified liar".

"(The) Nation should ponder over the implications of his politics funded by foreigners," Sharif said in a tweet Tuesday.

The party has denied the accusations.

Responding to the decision, senior PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry said the party had taken funds from "overseas Pakistanis", not foreign nationals.

"Overseas Pakistanis are the backbone of Pakistan's economy, and we would continue to rely on them for funding," Chaudhry told reporters.

Cricket star-turned-politician Khan swept into power in 2018 thanks to an electorate weary of the dynastic politics of the country's two major parties, with the popular former sports star promising to sweep away decades of entrenched corruption and cronyism.

But in April, he was kicked out following a no-confidence vote -- brought down in part by his failure to rectify the country's dire economic situation, including its crippling debt, shrinking foreign currency reserves and soaring inflation.

He also reportedly fell out with the country's powerful military.

Khan has since staged a series of rallies, touting a claim he was pushed out of office in a "foreign conspiracy" and heaping pressure on a coalition of former opposition parties now in power.

PTI has been sent a notice to explain the prohibited funds, or it can challenge the order in court.

The commission meanwhile could pursue confiscating the prohibited funds, while the government could take the case to the Supreme Court to ban Khan's PTI party.

However, legal expert Osama Malik said: "Politically it would not be an ideal precedent for one group of political parties to ban their rivals."

The commission is also investigating a foreign funding case against two other major political parties -- Sharif's ruling PML-N and its coalition partner Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP).

Both parties deny the claims.

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Pakistan tribunal: Imran Khan's PTI received illegal funding

The Election Commission of Pakistan has ruled that the party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan received illegal funds from abroad. The decision could see the cricket icon and his party being banned from politics.


As the Oxford-educated son of a wealthy Lahore family, Khan had a reputation as a playboy before politics

Former Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party on Tuesday said it would challenge the commission's ruling that could see it disqualified from any upcoming election.

Since he was forced from office after losing a confidence vote, Khan has been rallying his supporters to demand a new election. The country's new Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif has rejected that demand.
What did the ruling say?

Khan's party has faced accusations of receiving funds from abroad, which is illegal in Pakistan, in a case that has lasted years.

According to Pakistani media, a three-member commission tribunal found that the PTI received funding from 34 foreigners or foreign companies.

The body said the party had submitted a fake affidavit about its bank accounts. It determined that the party had hidden 13 bank accounts that it should have declared.

The commission asked the party to submit an explanation as to why its funds should not be seized, media said.

The PTI itself says the funds in question were received from Pakistanis based overseas, which would not be illegal.

How does it mean he can be banned?

Legal expert Osama Malik told DW the decision could be used by the Pakistani government to declare the PTI a foreign aided political party.

However, a reference would have to be sent to the country's Supreme Court — which would make a final decision on this matter — within 15 days.

Malik said the PTI could respond to the possible seizure of funds or challenge the order itself in a court of law.
What was the reaction?

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Khan's predecessor and one of his political opponents, said the matter should now be settled.

"It has been proved that Imran Khan is involved in the foreign prohibited funding which is illegal according to the Pakistani law and the law will take its course on this matter," he said.

The PTI's founder and Khan's former close associate Akbar S. Baba, who filed the complaint about the funding with the commission, hailed the ruling.

"All the accusations against Imran Khan have been proven," Babar told reporters, adding that Khan should step down from the party.

However, PTI spokesman Fawad Chaudhry denied that the party was guilty of wrongdoing.

"We will challenge this verdict in the court, these funds were received from overseas Pakistanis and they are patriotic people and they will continue to support our party and we have not [hidden] the funds."

Big promises turn sour

As the Oxford-educated son of a wealthy Lahore family, Khan had a reputation as a playboy before he retired from international cricket.

He was prime minister from 2018 until April of this year when he was forced to step down after the confidence vote, which he claimed was the precipitated by a US conspiracy. Washington has denied those claims.

Khan, 69, had promised sweeping reforms to eliminate corruption and cronyism. But he was accused by his detractors of economic mismanagement and foreign-policy mistakes.

Rapid inflation, rising unemployment, a weak currency and a heavy debt burden also hurt his popularity.

While Khan's supporters viewed him as the last hope for Pakistani politics, opponents chastized him for his willingness to accommodate Islamists and antagonize the West.

With reporting from Haroon Janjua in Islamabad

rc/msh (Reuters, dpa)