ECP scrutiny committee justifies secrecy of PTI accounts

ISLAMABAD: The scrutiny committee of the Election Commission of Pakistan on Tuesday tried to justify secrecy of the PTI accounts and also came up with a plethora of reasons for the inordinate delay and not furnishing its scrutiny report within six weeks.

The Election Commission resumed hearing of the complaint of petitioner Akbar S Babar against the ECP Scrutiny Committee’s order of February 9, 2021 to keep the PTI financial documents secret, including the mostly-secret 23 PTI bank statements revealed on the instructions of the State Bank of Pakistan.

Likewise, the committee head, Director General Law, ECP, neither appeared before the Election Commission bench nor the report about the delay and why the ECP order of last year was not complied with and scrutiny was not completed within the stipulated time.

The PTI through its lawyer strongly opposed sharing of its accounts details with Babar but when the ECP bench asked him to explain the reasons for this, he sought more time. Though the hearing of the complaint against the scrutiny committee was at the top of the cause list yet it was delayed due to non-availability of the DG law.

The sources in the Election Commission said that the report by the DG law did not refer to any law, rule, or any provision that bars the complainant from accessing the PTI accounts. But the report cites presidential reference and other cases in the Supreme Court as causes for delay. It, in fact, justifies the delay to other responsibilities of the committee members.

The DG law explained that one of the committee members is the Deputy Auditor General. Similarly, the chairman also looks after important court cases. Besides, they are scrutinising assets and liabilities of three major political parties.

The Scrutiny Committee claims that the documents cannot be shared with the petitioner as the respondent (PTI) objects to it. On the last hearing, the ECP had ordered the head of the Scrutiny Committee to submit a detailed report on why the ECP’s order of August 27, 2020 was not complied with to submit the scrutiny report in six weeks. Instead of appearing in person, the DG Law submitted reasons spread over eight pages (copy available with this correspondent).

However, the DG Law acknowledges that the scrutiny committee had turned down the request of the complainant (Akbar S. Babar) to pursue the PTI bank statements. The report says that the May 30, 2018 ECP order of allowing the petitioner access to all PTI documents is challenged since by then ‘no sufficient record was available before the commission except the record of assets and liabilities submitted by the political parties annually’. It states that ‘the committee has decided not to provide copies of any documents to the complainant’.

The petitioner’s lawyer, Syed Ahmad Hassan Shah, assisted by Badar Iqbal Chaudhery, maintained that they could not rubberstamp fake and forged documents. He said without access to PTI documents, the petitioner was being asked to participate in a scrutiny process blindfolded, which was unacceptable.

He contended that without access to all PTI accounts including the 23 PTI bank accounts requisitioned on the State Bank of Pakistan instructions, the petitioner was unable to assist the committee on the veracity of documents submitted by the PTI nor will such scrutiny be considered transparent. Shah pointed out that to-date, the committee has made no effort to ascertain the full scale and scope of the illegal funding. The PTI lawyer, Syed Khawar Shah, opposed handing over of PTI accounts to the petitioner and sought more time when repeatedly asked by the bench to explain.

Later, talking to the media, Babar insisted that keeping the scrutiny process secret only raises concerns on the transparency. He said had the case been decided in time, Pakistan could have been saved from the disastrous leadership in power today. He alleged with each passing day, Pakistan’s vital interests are being put in jeopardy. He claimed functionally handing over the State Bank of Pakistan was like handing over the treasury of the country to foreign interests. Babar remarked, “This is being done to justify strategic compromises by a few whose power threatens the freedom and sovereignty of the country.”