Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has said that Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) destined to fail. “All dacoits are trying to blackmail me to get National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO)”, he said while speaking to journalists in Sahiwal at the launch of Kamyab Kisan Programme.
PM Imran Khan said Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and PDM Chief Fazlur Rehman is a corrupt man and calling him maulana is the disgrace of the religious schoolars.
On upcoming Senate elections, he said that the PTI government is moving for a constitutional amendment to hold senate polls through a show of hands. We are aware who is putting money on the senate polls, he said and added that he was too offered money in the Senate polls. The premier said that PTI expelled its elected members for selling out their votes in the last Senate elections.
The expected talks between the government and opposition could not take place because of the later dropped the idea of holding the meeting. Maryam Nawaz says there will be no NRO for Imran Khan.https://t.co/OwH74gDu1r
— GVS (@GVS_News) January 26, 2021
Those who become senators by spending Rs50mn, how come they would not make money, the PM questioned.
Read more: PTI’s foreign funds to be audited
In a program, Think Tank, prominent analyst Ayaz Amir has said that the PDM is no longer a serious threat to the government. “They [PDM] do not understand a few things. For example, PDM is not focusing on the common Pakistanis’ issues like inflation and sugar crisis,” he said.
Professor Hassan Askari Rizvi also agreed with Amir and maintained that “PDM should know that the governments cannot be toppled like this”. Prof. Rizvi also noted that the PDM has never been clear about its agenda. “Earlier they attacked Army and the Judiciary, now ECP is being targeted,” he explained.
There has been an opinion that the foreign funding case may create problems for the ruling party. But a senior lawyer explained to GVS that the Supreme Court has already discussed in detail the question of foreign funding in its 2017 judgment on a petition filed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hanif Abbasi, who had sought disqualification of Imran Khan.
The SC bench led by the former chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar while making a distinction between a ‘foreign aided’ party and ‘prohibited funding’ referred the case on December 16, 2017, to the ECP for a probe.
The judgment had noted that it is the duty of the ECP to scrutinize accounts of political parties on the touchstone of Article 6(3) of the PPO read in the light of Article 17(3) of the Constitution.
The PML-N counsel Akram Sheikh had submitted that the PTI is a ‘foreign-aided’ political party in terms of Article 2(c) (iii) of the Political Parties Ordinance (PPO) 2002 as it received contributions prohibited under Article 6(3) thereof read with Article 17(3) of the Constitution.
Mr. Akram had argued that despite the above-stated position, Imran Khan personally issued certificates to the ECP in terms of Article 13(2) of the PPO to the effect that PTI does not receive funds from prohibited sources, meaning thereby that it is not a foreign-aided political party.
The PML-N’s lawyer wanted the court to disqualify Imran Khan for not being honest and truthful. “These certificates make misdeclaration of fact and thus the respondent (Imran Khan) has proven himself to be not sagacious, righteous, honest or ameen. He is, therefore, liable to be disqualified from holding elective office or being elected thereto under Articles 62(1) (f) and (g), and 63(1)(p) of the Constitution,” he had said.
Read More: Supreme Court straight-shooting at Hanif Abbasi!
However, the apex court in its judgment had noted that it is not the case that the PTI was formed or organized at the instance of any government or political party of a foreign country or is affiliated to or associated with any government or political party of a foreign country, or receives any aid, financial or otherwise, from any government or political party of a foreign country.
Foreign Aided Political Party
The judgment had noted that under 1962 Act, ‘foreign aided’ political party means a party which has been formed or organized at the instance of any government or political party of a foreign country; or is affiliated to or associated with any government or political party of a foreign country; or receives any aid, financial or otherwise, from any government or political party of a foreign.
It stated that where the federal government is satisfied that a political party is a foreign-aided party or has been formed or is operating in a manner prejudicial to the sovereignty or integrity of Pakistan or is indulging in terrorism, it shall make such declaration by notification in the Official Gazette.
Read more: PTI goes to the SC over PML-N foreign funding