Much to the solace of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, the Islamabad High Court has stopped the Election Commission of Pakistan from announcing a verdict in the PTI foreign funding case within 30 days, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
In his order on Monday, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah said: “The ECP is a constitutional institution so the court suspends its earlier order that the commission should announce its verdict within 30 days.”
IHC Chief Justice Minallah heard the PTI petition against the biased attitude of the Election Commission of Pakistan in the foreign funding case against the party. The petition beseeched the court to direct the ECP to hear cases against 17 political parties on daily basis and decide these cases within a month.
The ECP and 17 political parties were made party to the case.
The PTI on Wednesday filed an intra-court appeal in the Islamabad High Court challenging the IHC’s single-bench decision to announce verdict on foreign funding case within 30 days.
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had already announced that it would hear the PTI foreign funding case every day, so that it could be able to decide the case within 30 days as per the IHC’s directives.
On April 14, an IHC single-judge bench headed by Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani upheld the ECP’s decision to give access to the case's record to the PTI’s founding member Akbar S Babar and not remove him from the proceedings.
It is pertinent to mention here that the PTI has decided to hold protests outside the offices of the Election Commission of Pakistan throughout the country on Tuesday (tomorrow) against the chief election commissioner for his alleged biased behaviour.
The party is demanding resignation of CEC Sikander Sultan Raja.
However, in the backdrop of looming protests, the ECP has decided to write a letter to the home secretary to ensure the security of its offices against the PTI’s protests scheduled to be held tomorrow.
Reporter Ehtisham Kiyani