ISLAMABAD: PTI founding member and disgruntled party leader Akbar S Babar said Monday that a 'friend' of Prime Minister Imran Khan offered to make him chairman Senate, in exchange of not pursuing action against the party.
Speaking to media, Babar-- a founding member of the PTI who filed the foreign funding case against the party in 2014-- said that he had been threatened and cases had been filed against him for pursuing action against the party.
"I friend of Imran Khan offered me the post of chairman Senate," he said, adding that he had "rejected all offers since I am on a noble purpose".
The disgruntled PTI leader announced that he will challenge the steering committee's decision, adding that he can only seek justice from the institutions in Pakistan.
"When I filed a case against the party, Imran Khan hid behind a stay order," he said. "Imran Khan is running away from competing against me for the past six years."
Babar said that the PTI still had not disclosed details of its six foreign bank accounts. "For the past three years, the [ECP's] scrutiny committee has been unable to hold the party's audit," he said.
Case background
Akbar S Babar, a founding member of the PTI, had filed a case against the Imran Khan-led party in November 2014 claiming in his petition that there were massive financial irregularities in handling of foreign funding to the tune of nearly $3 million.
Following the petition, the PTI challenged the ECP orders in the IHC in 2017.
In the same year, the IHC sent back the case to the electoral body to review its jurisdiction once again. In the case, the high court had also declared Babar as member of the ruling PTI.
Later on May 8, 2017, an ECP bench stated that the body had complete jurisdiction over the case.
In March 2018, a scrutiny committee was formed to look into PTI's foreign funding accounts to determine if there was any wrongdoing.
The PTI at multiple times has sought secrecy in the scrutiny and had also approached the ECP, in this regard. However, in October, 2019, the ECP turned down the party's request.
PTI chief Imran Khan at multiple times has accused the ECP for working for the interests of the Opposition in the case.
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